Do reserve feats make the Warlock redundant?

[BryonD]

I'm actually not all that impressed by it, since any warlock worth his salt should be keeping his d6 hit die butt far enough away from combat that he never sees enough enemies within 20 ft. to make the power useful.

Which is one reason the wizard's d4 butt doesn't become over powered by gaining a 20 ft lightning line ability.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Which is one reason the wizard's d4 butt doesn't become over powered by gaining a 20 ft lightning line ability.

True, dat.

 

[Particle_Man]

I wonder if one could use Project Image and then send out the 20' lightning bolt from the image? Or is it only spells proper that can be cast through a projected image?

 

[charlesatan]

What are the current sources for warlock invocations?

Complete Arcane, Complete Mage, and Dragon Magic (although it's "hidden" under the dragon invocation section). An interesting shape invocation in Dragon Magic was limiting your invocation to a spear, but you get iterative attacks based on your base attack bonus (i.e. 3 attacks if your BAB is +11/+6/+1).

 

[charlesatan]

First off, I think the title is not the real question. Warlocks aren't just eldritch blasts and have other features which make them useful (i.e. ability to use/craft virtually almost any magic item). So it should be better phrased as "do reserve feats make eldritch blasts redundant?"

Here are some advantages of eldritch blasts over reserve feats:

1) Range. It's the difference between a monster being able to reach you in a charge or not.

2) Energy type. 1 Reserve feat gives you access to one energy type. Eldritch blast doesn't really have an energy type, and thanks to invocations, it can be changed (if a monster has a vulnerability for example). With reserve feats, you might end up facing a monster that has resistance or immunity to your stuck element.

3) Shape. Again, thanks to invocations, you have a variety of shapes available to you, or at the very least a ray. Reserve feats that deal damage usually come in a fixed shape, and you have to worry about hitting allies if they're not in optimum positions.

4) Damage output. Eldritch blasts in general has a higher damage output. No need to compute what spell slot to "save" and various factors can increase the damage dealt by your eldritch blasts (metamagic, magic items, etc.)

Also, here are the limitations of reserve feats:

1) It's costing you a feat!

2) You have to "save" a spell slot in order to use it. Although sorcerers in this case have it easier than wizards, but they also get less bang for it (because wizards have less slots to utilize than sorcerers).

3) Limited type of damage and shape. Granted, ability to dole out damage "for free" is better than none, but it's nowhere as flexible as an eldritch blast.

 

[TarionzCousin]

If we get to the High Levels, he will be doing anywhere from 9d6 (vs weak targets) to 27d6 - empowered (vs BBEG types) in a 20ft radius blast... on a flyby attack. I think that the Cone version would be more useful actually...

Okay, Brew, let's see the math.

 

[Drowbane]

oops

 

[Drowbane]

Okay, Brew, let's see the math.

I don't have my books with me right now... but lets see if I remember it all

Base damage at 20th: 9d6
Mortalbane (BoVD, not a Vile or even an "evil" feat): +2d6 with a SLA vs non-outsiders/constructs
Improved Psionic Shot (xph - and of course I will have Psionic Meditation by then too): +4d6
Sceptor (complete arcane): +4d6
Amulet-thing (complete arcane): +2d6
Incarnum Blast (MoI): only applies vs enemies of an alignment opposed to your own... requires essentia to fuel. +5d6
Total: 26d6 (at the time of my older posting I was thinking that Sceptor could go to +5d6)

Of course, my warlock has the (possibly unique?) advantage of being Gestalt with Incarnate... with Wild (hidden variant) Talent.

 

[Felix]

...Gestalt...

The penny drops.

 

[Felon]

Of course, my warlock has the (possibly unique?) advantage of being Gestalt with Incarnate... with Wild (hidden variant) Talent.

OK, so as not to put too fine a head on things, you wildly misrepresented your damage output by omitting some details, with much of that output related to the character being psionic and incarnate and gestalt. Basically, the sort of character 99% of DM's wouldn't let through the door.