Do reserve feats make the Warlock redundant?

[Felix]

Re: Storm Bolt

Unless I were some kind of gish character, I would never allow myself to get within 20 feet of a baddie; my next move would be to get the heck away from him. And if I were a gish, my Storm Bolt wouldn't be as powerful as a full-level caster's SB would be. Balanced, I think.

I'd only ever pick up this feat it if I had a free or swift action way to retreat after I'd used the Storm Bolt. Or if I were an Air Elemental Savant, for flavor purposes.

 

[Asmor]

What does gish mean? I've tried looking it up, but it's got several non-rpg related meanings and Wikipedia only mentions that it is can be an rpg term, but that page hasn't been created yet. :/

 

[GQuail]

I'm not positive, as I'm at school right now and don't have access to the book, but I believe the lightning blast feat (Storm Bolt?) does not have a reflex save, it's just a 20-foot line. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense since spells without attack rolls usually have saves, but I think I remember looking for that specifically and not seeing it. Of course, the fact that it's only a 20-foot line is pretty limiting... it means that you need to be in close range, and you can't even hide behind the meatshield unless he's got some hefty lightning resistance/immunity.

To compare, there's a fire one that lets you make 5-foot radius blasts within 30 feet which does allow reflex for half, and an acid one which is a touch attack with a potentially longer range (5 feet/spell level).

Again, I could be wrong, but I think I remember hearing that spell resistance doesn't work against most of these feats either.

So, specifically the lightning one may not have a save, but others operate in the standard spell paradigm - and the lightning one's short range probably renders it only usable against "things which can impale their weapons in my face next turn" anyway.

For a feat and a held spell, I don't think that's broken, and that the Warlock still has clear advantages over such a character. But I'm going without the book in front of me - perhaps the other ones are really cool and I should burn Complete Arcana in their honour. ;-)

 

[GQuail]

What does gish mean? I've tried looking it up, but it's got several non-rpg related meanings and Wikipedia only mentions that it is can be an rpg term, but that page hasn't been created yet. :/

Fighter/Wizard multiclass. From the Fiend Folio 1E, where the term was used to describe a special sorty of Githyanki warrior who does exactly that.

 

[Baron Opal]

What are the current sources for warlock invocations?

 

[Fishbone]

How does this obsolete a Warlock?
A high level warlock will have a Greater Chasuble of Fell Power. And he can spice that up to 13d6 Acid with Vitriolic Blast, or take Chilling Tentacles and get 11d6 damage and super-de-dooper Evard's Black Tentacles. Or he could try to throw down Confusion on his enemies and still get 11d6 damage down. Anyhow, there is no way I'd want a Warlock as the core arcane caster. Period. I'd rather have a Bard in the party anyday. So saying the feat will make Wizards obsolete Warlocks is just a poor comparison, they do two different things.

 

[Particle_Man]

Um, Chilling Tentacles and Confustion don't do the damage of an Eldritch Blast, as they are neither Blast Essence invocations nor Blast Shape invocations.

 

[Fishbone]

Duh. They look good on paper, but I've never saw somebody play one.
/I put on Dunce cap. Wait, it was already on!

 

[BryonD]

I don't think that things like a 20 ft line make the warlocks blast obsolete by any stretch.

No save is mentioned for Storm Bolt.

Really? I find that pretty surprising.
Nothing in the genral section regarding reserve feats maybe? No save would seem really out of character for an area effect like this.

 

[Kesh]

What are the current sources for warlock invocations?

Complete Arcane and Complete Mage are it, for now. There may be some scattered in Dragon magazine, but not that I know of.