Warlock: Eldritch Blast

[Mezzer]

The thing is, EB is very solid baseline ability to use in combat when you have nothing else to do. Warlocks are rather limited in that regard, since they have very little to do most of the time. That said, the damage isn't spectacular, it has no riders, and it could get hella boring real quick.

I'd say a better solution than messing with the damage of EB is simply to give them another minor invocation that actually does something besides damage; utility is often far more powerful than a bit more damage.

 

[Ultimatecalibur]

No - the Fighter is supposed to deal the most damage. They are principally a combat class, with much less scope than others in exploration and social interaction.

No, the Fighter is supposed to be the best at fighting. Most damage does not equal best at fighting. Even if it did, a greatsword/axe Fighter is currently one of the top sustained damage dealers, only beaten out by a Thug Tactics Rogue with two allies in melee with the target or a Rogue with Fighter(or other class that can give the Rogue advantage) assistance.

I am actually more concerned with "touch and feel" than straight math.

No amount of math can after all convince me that EB is balanced if the way EB works is such that my Warlock players simply use it all the time ad nauseam.

I sounds like your problem is less the actual power and more that the only current Minor Invocations are a direct damage invocation(Eldritch Blast) and a movement invocation(Shadow Veil).

 

[Tehnai]

My biggest issue with it is that it feels like a slightly better option than everything else the warlock has, so the player isn't really tempted to use anything else.

And it's kind of boring too, compared to all of the other awesome abilities the warlock has access to.

 

[Ultimatecalibur]

My biggest issue with it is that it feels like a slightly better option than everything else the warlock has, so the player isn't really tempted to use anything else.

And it's kind of boring too, compared to all of the other awesome abilities the warlock has access to.

Would you consider using a minor invocation that deals ~7(~10 at level 4) damage and Intoxicates the target for a round?

 

[slobo777]

My biggest issue with it is that it feels like a slightly better option than everything else the warlock has, so the player isn't really tempted to use anything else.

And it's kind of boring too, compared to all of the other awesome abilities the warlock has access to.

I'm not sure if the Warlock should be it, but it would be kind of cool to have a spellcaster with just one basic combat power that they use (perhaps with some complications/adjustments via feats), and where the coolness resides in what they can do in exploration or social manipulation.

But then I'd guess if the damage is high ("striker-ish") then the class is intended primarily to be strong at the combat side of the game. Therefore yes it is going to be played by people that like combat, and it would be a good idea to give it some variety and fun during play.

I'd happily see a rogue-like Warlock with just average damage in combat, but loads of exploration options. Not traditional, so might be some kind of expansion/non-core class.

 

[Tehnai]

Would you consider using a minor invocation that deals ~7(~10 at level 4) damage and Intoxicates the target for a round?

I would love it if Eldritch Blast changed depending on a warlock's pact. The demon pact warlock could set people on fire or something.

 

[Ultimatecalibur]

I would love it if Eldritch Blast changed depending on a warlock's pact. The demon pact warlock could set people on fire or something.

I do not think that they need to have each pact alter Eldritch Blast, but give at least one comparable alternate inherently. I could see a flaming dart minor invocation dealing less damage on the initial hit, but deal additional damage after a delay, similarly to how Acid Arrow works.

 

[Raith5]

I do not think that they need to have each pact alter Eldritch Blast, but give at least one comparable alternate inherently. I could see a flaming dart minor invocation dealing less damage on the initial hit, but deal additional damage after a delay, similarly to how Acid Arrow works.

What about eyebite? The 4th ed version did a bit of damage and made the warlock invisible to the targeted creature. I had a warlock in my party and eyebite was a lot of fun (until he met an unfortunate end).

 

[Rlyehable]

wouldn't it be cool if the eldritch blast did different damage (type) dependent on the pact the warlock took? also i think the eldritch blast should do more damage as the warlock levels up.

Yes. I hope that will happen in later playtest versions.

I was, somewhat, disappointed that they only provided one pact entity. It would have been nice to have at least two. It would have given better insight in what they have planned for this class.

 

[Rlyehable]

{removed as post was duplicated}