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<blockquote data-quote="Irda Ranger" data-source="post: 7091790" data-attributes="member: 1003">Lots of builds are &quot;viable&quot;. You can play a Dex-build Halfling barbarian if you want. The issue with bladelock is that there is no build as-designed that's as good as the other classes.A mobile blade-lock isn't especially mobile; they cannot Dash/Disengage as a Bonus Action like a ranger or rogue can. Trying to play a straight blade-lock as a mobile striker will be an OA magnet.A tank blade-lock doesn't have the armor every other front-line class gets automatically. You can fix this with Feats, but in the mean time a real Paladin or Fighter is using those same ASI/Feat slots to pull further away from you with Heavy Armor Master or whatever. So you cannot ever be as good.Whether you go mobile or tank, as a class that relies on spells for damage, getting into melee is asking to have your Concentration disrupted. When you only have two spells per short rest, you cannot afford to re-up a lost spell the way a Cleric or Druid can.Honestly though any of these problems can be fixed by expanding the Invocation list just a little. Armor of the Fiend for an AC that scales with level. Tower of Iron Will for advantage on Concentration checks. Slippery Form for Dash/Disengage. Scale blade attacks at the same rate as Eldritch Blast. Etc.It wouldn't take much to bring blade-locks to par with other classes. But as-written there's no point trying to argue they're on equal footing. The case just doesn't close.EDIT: I should make clear that I really want blade-locks to be better because I find the standard &quot;hang back and Eldritch Blast a lot&quot; to be boring as sin.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Irda Ranger, post: 7091790, member: 1003"] Lots of builds are "viable". You can play a Dex-build Halfling barbarian if you want. The issue with bladelock is that there is no build as-designed that's as good as the other classes. A mobile blade-lock isn't especially mobile; they cannot Dash/Disengage as a Bonus Action like a ranger or rogue can. Trying to play a straight blade-lock as a mobile striker will be an OA magnet. A tank blade-lock doesn't have the armor every other front-line class gets automatically. You can fix this with Feats, but in the mean time a real Paladin or Fighter is using those same ASI/Feat slots to pull further away from you with Heavy Armor Master or whatever. So you cannot ever be as good. Whether you go mobile or tank, as a class that relies on spells for damage, getting into melee is asking to have your Concentration disrupted. When you only have two spells per short rest, you cannot afford to re-up a lost spell the way a Cleric or Druid can. Honestly though any of these problems can be fixed by expanding the Invocation list just a little. Armor of the Fiend for an AC that scales with level. Tower of Iron Will for advantage on Concentration checks. Slippery Form for Dash/Disengage. Scale blade attacks at the same rate as Eldritch Blast. Etc. It wouldn't take much to bring blade-locks to par with other classes. But as-written there's no point trying to argue they're on equal footing. The case just doesn't close. EDIT: I should make clear that I [B]really want[/B] blade-locks to be better because I find the standard "hang back and Eldritch Blast a lot" to be boring as sin. [/QUOTE]

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