D&D 5E Warlock, Pact of the Blade, Melee

[Dausuul]

I'm assuming the spell is going to be cast at around 5th level which case you are getting 25 HP and dealing 25 damage. That's a pretty damn good amount of damage that's unavoidable (unless they have cold resistance or something)

Armor of Agathys with Heavy Armor Mastery looks like a really good combination for wading into a swarm of mooks. Especially if you throw in fiendish resilience...

 

[trentonjoe]

Gotcha. It seems that around level 5 you should swap out hellish rebuke for armor of somebody. Can you retrain incantation s ? If not it's makes the false life one unneeded.

 

[Otakkun]

I disagree. If this was how it worked, you could go whatever 18/warlock 2 and get max-level invocations with no investment in the class.

Those last 2 "whatever" levels are usually quite sweet on all classes. An abilty bump and a 20th level class ability seem like a good trade for 5 1d10+cha bolts, one other invocation and level 1 spell.

 

[Otakkun]

Gotcha. It seems that around level 5 you should swap out hellish rebuke for armor of somebody. Can you retrain incantation s ? If not it's makes the false life one unneeded.

You can retrain one every time you level as warlock.

 

[Dausuul]

I disagree. If this was how it worked, you could go whatever 18/warlock 2 and get max-level invocations with no investment in the class.

As far as I can tell, that is how it works. Whatever 18/warlock 2 is a perfectly valid build.

The rules are pretty clear: "5th level" is a prerequisite for the invocation. It doesn't say "5th-level warlock," just "5th level." The intent seems to be to keep high-level spell effects out of the hands of low-level PCs.

 

[Otakkun]

Armor of Agathys with Heavy Armor Mastery looks like a really good combination for wading into a swarm of mooks. Especially if you throw in fiendish resilience...

I've been tinkering for a day an a half already on different iterations of a low level warlock. For a no DEX build, I'd say:

Human (variant) Fighter 1/ Warlock 1: Heavy Armor Mastery (feat), Blade Ward, Amor of Agathys.
Gear: Splint Mail, Shield, Longsword.

It kind of reminds me of the 3.5 PrC that was all about a mage on a full plate armor.

 

[AmerginLiath]

I think another flavorful but maybe less-than-optimal option if you really want to be a Str-lock is to multiclass Barbarian. Get your spells out of the way in the first two rounds, then rage into melee. A Barb 3/Warlock 5 has shield proficiency and can swing a greatsword three times per round, with bonus damage and advantage on every attack.

Pardon the necromancy here, but this thread (in this post) actually brings up the muticlass idea that I had for a character (based off the story concept), and I had a question for more mechanics-minded folks than I. Given the tactic of bladelocks to want to be hit (using their spells and such, so as to pass on reflected damage while being buffered by THP), how would a Barbarian/Warlock MC work using the Barbarian's "Reckless Danger" ability for this, inasmuch that he would get some prime bonuses from his own Advantage to attack while effectively turning his enemies' own Advantage to attack him back against them with his Bladelock abilities? It just seems to me to be a really flavorful way of going all out for a round that works for both classes, so I was wondering if I was missing something (having not heard anyone bring the idea up)...

 

[trentonjoe]

My mountain dwarf warlock has turned out pretty effective. At 4th level I do 1d10+3 with the extra 1d6 from hex pretty often. My AC is only 14 but I pretty much always have 5-8 temp hit points up. I am going to to go the Sorcerer/Paladin route and use my spells slots for smites.

 

[Ashrym]

As far as I can tell, that is how it works. Whatever 18/warlock 2 is a perfectly valid build.

The rules are pretty clear: "5th level" is a prerequisite for the invocation. It doesn't say "5th-level warlock," just "5th level." The intent seems to be to keep high-level spell effects out of the hands of low-level PCs.

Per Sage Advice link http://thesageadvice.wordpress.com/

Chris McGrath @GunnerMcGrath

@JeremyECrawford Are warlock invocation prerequisites by class level or character level? Book doesn't specify. Thanks!

Jeremy Crawford @JeremyECrawford
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@GunnerMcGrath The intent is that a level prerequisite in a warlock invocation refers to warlock level.


EDIT: apologies. I just noticed how old the post was to which I responded. D'oh!!!

 

[Dausuul]

Per Sage Advice link http://thesageadvice.wordpress.com/

Chris McGrath @GunnerMcGrath

@JeremyECrawford Are warlock invocation prerequisites by class level or character level? Book doesn't specify. Thanks!

Jeremy Crawford @JeremyECrawford
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@GunnerMcGrath The intent is that a level prerequisite in a warlock invocation refers to warlock level.

I sense a great disturbance in the game... as though millions of multiclassed warlock builds cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced.