Warlock flavor and build tweak help.

[Herschel]

Yeah, plus there's already a Paladin/Warlock in the group (although he's hit H2 now). I just have a hard time getting a feel for the Battlemind. I will admit that my favorite class is the Swordmage but I've played one in two home games and it's my primary LFR character as well as a hybrid with Barbarian mini campaign character and my other Level 11 roll-up filler character when one of our paragon guys got behind in XP.

I guess what I'm looking for is Hellish Rebuke in "melee" mechanically but staying light-armored and a full Warlock.

Flavor-wise I was leaning towards Lawful Good, but I'm not sure siphoning power even from an evil primordial to do good is exactly lawful. It seems to lean a bit torture more than just/righteous punishment in some ways.

 

[Mentat55]

Ah, so you are not looking for a melee attack to complement Hellish Rebuke, but rather a way to use Hellish Rebuke in melee?

I admit that, outside of relying on magic items, the only way I can think of nullifying the opportunity attack is via Staff Expertise. Otherwise, you could attack with Hellish Rebuke at short range, close, and use a melee attack like Eldritch Strike, thus putting you in harm's way and tempting the opponent to trigger Hellish Rebuke.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Here's a different tack that may work: multiclassing.

I'm currently running a Dwarven Starlock (MC: Psion) in a group in which he often finds himself exposed to potential melee. If need be, he has a warhammer- I need to investigate this rumored Melee Training feat that let's you sub one stat for another for MBAs- but generally, I find my high Con, Shadow Walking, and Ethereal Slide make me a tough target. I've yet to use more than half of my surges in any one adventuring "day". While you won't necessarily be as tough as my Dwarf, you have an advantage in that your Pact's powers feed you THPs.

However, I'm not counting on that to hold. For RP reasons, this PC is MCed into Psion...and then I noticed that some of the Psionic powers create constructs that let you "project" your powers through them. Some are explicitly Psionic powers only, others are not. I can't imagine that only Psions get this.

For that matter, don't Familiars work that way as well? If so, get yourself a Familiar and go all Crow on your Foes!

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Found something in HoSh that mimics the Psion powers I was talking about: Mirror Darkly, a 6th level Warlock Utility Encounter power. It conjures a shade that lasts until the end of your next turn. It can serve as the point of origin for your attacks, and you are insubstantial while it exists.

That lets your shade serve as your proxy in melee and keeps you from getting tagged at the same time. It even has an optional T-port effect as it's coda.

(Hmmm, mayhaps my Starlock will be taking that one...)

 

[Herschel]

That is incredibly sweet! Power swaps are pricey, but can be very cool.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

That's why I was so happy to find Mirror Darkly- it does a lot of what the Psion powers do, and as a Warlock spell, no swap necessary!