D&D (2024) Chromelock. EB Free Warlock.

[Zardnaar]

After some ideas to improve this. Basic idea.

Generally the Warlock should build around Eldritch Blast. Downside of this of course is opportunity cost with invocations and often your concentration slot is taken up with hex. At low level you're a glorified archer. Due to buffs of the other classes you're not particularly good at direct damage with EB.

So I'm basically skipping it at least early on. Might be viable later but ATM it's optional. Instead I'm going to come up with better options. That option is chromatic orb. In limited testing it bounces a lot. According to reddit here are the bouncing %.

Slot/bounce %
Lvl1. 34.4%
Lvl 2. 59%
Lvl 3. 79.5%
Lvl 4. 92.3
Lvl 5. 98.1%.
Etc.

So Zard you drunken barely functioning idiotic kiwi Chomatic Orb isn't a Warlock spell. That is true. Magic Initiate feat exists However I want to cast and know many spells. There's also a better invocations. I want to maximize my hit chances.


Race. Human.
Background/Origin. Anything from SCAG or Ravnica. Floating +2/+1 origin feat. 2024 phb magic initate feat options don't play nice with charisma classes. Page 38 2024 phb. That's two origin feats I'm taking magic initiate twice. I'm picking Cleric and Druid. Human also gets resourceful.

Ability Scores Charisma 17. Con and Dex 14 (16 con optional with point buy) other stats as you like. Assuming default array.


Cleric spell. Bless, Druid spell faerie fire.
Druid cantrip shillagh, starry wisp Cleric guidance, light. Buffing, radiant damage and starry wisp uses attack rolls.

Warlock spells.
Cantrips, Toll the dead, True Strike. Witchbolt and Bane.
Invocation. Pact of the Chain. Summon a Sphinx of Wonder/Quasit/Imp whatever you prefer. Who cares about Eldritch Blast? Use your pet.

Level 2. Magical cunning.
Add lessons of the first ones X2. Alert and magic initiate:wizard. Spell chromatic orb, mindsliver and ray of frost. Basic idea win initiative and buff or nuke.

So far we are going for utility for attack options. Your familiar is your MVP though.

Level 3 is pick a archetype. We are going with Celestial Warlock. Swap light for another Cleric cantrip. New spells. Aid, cure wounds, guiding bolt, lesser restoration, light, sacred flame.

Lots of options. Cloud of Daggers is your new spell. Optional swap out pact of the tome depending on how familiar is holding up. Take pact of the tome with comprehend languages, find familiar, sorcererous burst and two more cantrips. Consider swapping witchbolt for hold person.

Level 4.

New spell your choice and a warlock cantrip. Feat. Fae Touched misty step and bless. You can swap out bless or just gain 2 free castings. All of the free spells. 18 charisma. Or pick command.

Level 5. Hunger of hadar, invocations Eldritch mind, Agonizing Blast true strike. Optional swap out a pact of for repelling blast and pick up Eldritch blast. Your at will is shillagh+true strike. 1d10+charisma+1d6.

Level 6. Radiant soul. Hit with stick now does 1d10+8+1d6. Chromatic orb or hunger of hadar are your damage/control spells. Generally buff before you throw a chromatic orb.

That's the basic idea of the build. All of the spells and utility less pew pew. Thoughts on its viability. I'm not after a super meta build but something fun and effective.

Thoughts or Zard you're an idiotic barely functional/sober kiwi?

Edit. Wife has pointed out investment of the Chain master and Alert feat combo with a familiar or a any willing ally. Bonus action attack over Agonizing Blast. Hold Person combo with paralysis. You can cast aid on familiar.

 

[Kurotowa]

Level 5. Hunger of hadar, invocations Eldritch mind, Agonizing Blast true strike. Optional swap out a pact of for repelling blast and pick up Eldritch blast. Your at will is shillagh+true strike. 1d10+charisma+1d6.

Level 6. Radiant soul. Hit with stick now does 1d10+8+1d6. Chromatic orb or hunger of hadar are your damage/control spells. Generally buff before you throw a chromatic orb.

Your math is off on the True Strikes. True Strike adds your Cha modifier to the weapon attack, and Agonizing Blast adds it a second time, and Radiant Soul adds it a third time. So at 5th level it's 1d10 + 1d6 + 8, and at 6th level it goes up to 1d10 + 1d6 + 12.

 

[Zardnaar]

Your math is off on the True Strikes. True Strike adds your Cha modifier to the weapon attack, and Agonizing Blast adds it a second time, and Radiant Soul adds it a third time. So at 5th level it's 1d10 + 1d6 + 8, and at 6th level it goes up to 1d10 + 1d6 + 12.

Thanks missed that.

Familiar bonus action attack adds another
Level 6

2d6+d4+3 radiant.
1d10+1d6+12

 

[ECMO3]

I have yet to see any 2024 Warlock built around EB. Not saying they don't exist, nor even that it will not be the most common Cantrip chosen (although Truestrike is in the games I have seen so far).

The issue with CO is you need to hit the first target for it to bounce at all (and then hit the second to bounce a 3rd time etc), as a result I expect the numbers noted to be much lower than that in actual play. If you are going to really rely on this for damage I would go Great Old One for Clairvoyant Combat and the advantage it gives you and at high levels you can Hex the target and give it disadvantage on the save against Clairvoyant Combat (although that is a 2-round setup).

Pact of Chain has been very popular and effective in play in 2024. The familiars are a lot more durable. If you really want a powerful character at level 5+ go with summon undead, Investment of the Chain master and a Quasit familiar. They automatically poison a target on a hit (no save) and then the summoned undead paralyzes any poisoned target it hits.

Keep in mind the help action works differently now, your familiar can't help a specific player on an attack roll (so no helping you with CO), he helps the next creature to attack that creature. So if the initiative order is different the party will need to game and strategize around that.

 

[Kurotowa]

I have yet to see any 2024 Warlock built around EB. Not saying they don't exist, nor even that it will not be the most common Cantrip chosen (although Truestrike is in the games I have seen so far).

Novelty factor. People are busy trying to come up with novel new things, not the same Warlock builds they've been seeing for 10 years with a couple tweaks.

One of my shortlist "Characters I want to play" is a GOO Warlock illusionist, and I've got it sketched in as using a standard EB package because it's effective and uses a minimum amount of Invocations.

 

[Zardnaar]

I have yet to see any 2024 Warlock built around EB. Not saying they don't exist, nor even that it will not be the most common Cantrip chosen (although Truestrike is in the games I have seen so far).

The issue with CO is you need to hit the first target for it to bounce at all (and then hit the second to bounce a 3rd time etc), as a result I expect the numbers noted to be much lower than that in actual play. If you are going to really rely on this for damage I would go Great Old One for Clairvoyant Combat and the advantage it gives you and at high levels you can Hex the target and give it disadvantage on the save against Clairvoyant Combat (although that is a 2-round setup).

Pact of Chain has been very popular and effective in play in 2024. The familiars are a lot more durable. If you really want a powerful character at level 5+ go with summon undead, Investment of the Chain master and a Quasit familiar. They automatically poison a target on a hit (no save) and then the summoned undead paralyzes any poisoned target it hits.

Keep in mind the help action works differently now, your familiar can't help a
this specific player on an attack roll (so no helping you with CO), he helps the next creature to attack that creature. So if the initiative order is different the party will need to game and strategize around that.

Nice. Might borrow this combo.

 

[Neonchameleon]

Novelty factor. People are busy trying to come up with novel new things, not the same Warlock builds they've been seeing for 10 years with a couple tweaks.

One of my shortlist "Characters I want to play" is a GOO Warlock illusionist, and I've got it sketched in as using a standard EB package because it's effective and uses a minimum amount of Invocations.

This. You can perfectly happily play a warlock using 2014 recipes. But you've been able to do that for ten years now. The True Strike/Celestial warlock and actually good bladelocks are both new things.

And True Strike is stronger than EB from levels 1-4.

 

[Kurotowa]

And True Strike is stronger than EB from levels 1-4.

Yes, balance is wacky at those early levels. And that's okay, because they go by quickly, if the campaign doesn't skip them entirely. The strongest option for a low level Warlock is Chain Pact with an Imp or Sphinx and just letting it attack for you.

 

[ECMO3]

The strongest option for a low level Warlock is Chain Pact with an Imp or Sphinx and just letting it attack for you.

This is hard to do consistently in play because at levels 1-4 the familiar needs to use a reaction to make the attack and do it on the PCs turn, which means an enemy needs to be within reach on the PCs turn, and they often aren't, even when they are, many times it is not the enemy you want to attack - The Imp is over there next to that bad guy but this other one who goes next is about to die.

They are super useful in combat now though, where they used to be liabilities because of low hit points. An imp at level 1 is going to tank better than most fighters at that level .... and if he dies you summon a new one with an action.

 

[Zardnaar]

This is hard to do consistently in play because at levels 1-4 the familiar needs to use a reaction to make the attack and do it on the PCs turn, which means an enemy needs to be within reach on the PCs turn, and they often aren't, even when they are, many times it is not the enemy you want to attack - The Imp is over there next to that bad guy but this other one who goes next is about to die.

They are super useful in combat now though, where they used to be liabilities because of low hit points. An imp at level 1 is going to tank better than most fighters at that level .... and if he dies you summon a new one with an action.

One thing I have been considering.

Hence taking Alert feat lvl 2. You can switch initiative with your familiar.