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

[ECMO3]

One thing I have been considering.

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

It is doable, but that is a mixed bag. One problem is this is going to mean having your familiar go before you with the attack coming later on your initiative. For example - if there are 5PCs and 5 enemies in the fight and I am going 3rd and the Imp is goint 8th - is it better to go 3rd and use my trusty light crossbow Truestrike or is it better to go 8th in the turn order and give my Imp the chance to get into melee range first.

 

[prototype00]

So I’m playing a heavy armor Warlock via a Paladin dip:

- Low level, to have the chain familiar engage on your turn with its reaction, just have it ride on your shoulder, and you do the moving.

- As a GWM Bladelock, I’m mostly smashing stuff with a Maul, but if I need Range, I reach for a magic longbow that also benefits from GWM and makes a good replacement for EB, so I don’t really need it.

- I do the Quasit/Undead combo too, but use Investment later on (the trick is to order your undead to ready an action to attack the foe your familiar hits).

 

[Zardnaar]

So I’m playing a heavy armor Warlock via a Paladin dip:

- Low level, to have the chain familiar engage on your turn with its reaction, just have it ride on your shoulder, and you do the moving.

- As a GWM Bladelock, I’m mostly smashing stuff with a Maul, but if I need Range, I reach for a magic longbow that also benefits from GWM and makes a good replacement for EB, so I don’t really need it.

- I do the Quasit/Undead combo too, but use Investment later on (the trick is to order your undead to ready an action to attack the foe your familiar hits).

Cheers. Thanks for that info.

 

[SoSaltySalt]

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.

Two ideas to help with that. Carry the familiar(and if it's an Imp it can be going invisible on it's turn for advantage) or Ready the attack action(presumably for a trigger like "the imp goes invisible") and just have the Familiar move up to the right enemy and trigger your reaction.
Not like your reaction is that crowded early on

 

[mellored]

I kind of feel like you should dip Devotion paladin.

Just to stack more Charisma.

 

[CleverNickName]

Sorry I'm late to this thread, but I saw the title and wanted to chime in about my own experience with an Eldritch Blast-free Warlock.

I called it the FrostLock.

Essentially: I wanted to be a Fiend pact warlock, but I wanted a different fiend. I was bored with the traditional "flames of hell" option and wanted to be all about frost and ice and Levistus instead. So I rolled up a White Dragonborn warlock, and I asked my DM if I could use the Ray of Frost cantrip in place of Eldritch Blast. She agreed, but only if it were a total replacement.

This meant that Ray of Frost would replace Eldritch Blast on my character's spell list, and invocations like Agonizing Blast, Eldritch Spear, Grasp of Hadar, etc., would all apply to Ray of Frost (only) for my character. I wouldn't be able to go back and also select Eldritch Blast. I know that sounds a bit harsh--everyone knows that Eldritch Blast is the best cantrip in the game--but honestly, I was so bored with that particular cantrip that I didn't flinch. Suboptimal choices don't really bother me.

So how did it go?

Well, adding my Charisma bonus to any combat cantrip is going to be good. Agonizing Blast is always going to be the warlock's first choice of invocation.

As with any warlock, your spells are your "build." My favorite spells with this character were:

• Toll the Dead, because I love this cantrip
• Armor of Agathys for defense (and thematic reasons)
• Investiture of Ice (arcanum)
• Misty Step for escaping grapples, breaking into shops through their windows, and getting out of tough situations
• Counterspell because it's the best spell in the game
• Hunger of Hadar for even more battlefield control

I picked up Elemental Adept at 4th level. I know this isn't a very popular choice, but I never regretted it. If your primary spell deals elemental damage, and your spellcasting ability score is maxed out, I highly recommend giving this feat a try.

My warlock was all about battlefield control: there's some really good synergy with Lance of Lethargy and Repelling Blast. On a good round, I could slow a singular target's movement by 20 feet, and also push it back another 10 feet...so unless their movement rate was greater than 30' per round or their AC was really high, it was never going to get close. And even if it did, I had options.

Tomb of Levistus was better than I expected. I chose that invocation purely for flavor reasons, but it really saved my bacon in the very next adventure, when a couple of heavy-hitting monsters managed to get into melee range. They tried to pummel me with Multiattack, but only the first of their attacks could penetrate my fortress of ice.

-----

Anyway. Sorry if it was off-topic, but that was my EB-free warlock character.

 

[FrogReaver]

My take: 2024 warlocks work best as controllers with moderate damage.

They also can make component summoners in tiers 1 and 2 but that falls off a bit later due to summon hp not scaling well for them.

It’s fairly hard to get them to do good damage though - and they just can’t through most of tier 1 and even early tier 2. And even then it doesn’t stay good damage for long.

 

[Zardnaar]

My take: 2024 warlocks work best as controllers with moderate damage.

They also can make component summoners in tiers 1 and 2 but that falls off a bit later due to summon hp not scaling well for them.

It’s fairly hard to get them to do good damage though - and they just can’t through most of tier 1 and even early tier 2. And even then it doesn’t stay good damage for long.

Basically my theory as well. I don't think I'll bother with Agonizing Blast:EB.

 

[Quartz]

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.

Do they stack?

 

[Zardnaar]

Do they stack?

Yup. Downside though you're a celestial warlock.