Do reserve feats make the Warlock redundant?

[Drowbane]

99%?

The penny drops.

Gestalt just makes it easier, the output is possible without it.

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.

I misrepresented nothing...

Well, the warlock isn't a class with a heavy payload (which is OK, IMO not every class has to have high damage output). The eldritch blast will inflict 9d6 damage, and blast shape invocations can be applied to make it a 30 foot cone or a 20 foot radius blast centered on the warlock.

That is (self editing) 9d6 without trying. My level 3 warlock can dish out 2d6 to 6d6... depends on how deadly the foe in question appears.

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...

You may note that I distinctly said "my" warlock. And I've only known two DMs that I'd care to game with that don't care for Psionics and/or Incarnum.

Perhaps I should've stated some "YMMV"?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

And I've only known two DMs that I'd care to game with that don't care for Psionics and/or Incarnum.

Perhaps I should've stated some "YMMV"?

Just a bit.

 

[Drowbane]

Just a bit.

Why? Did I crush your hopes and dreams of making a power-gamed Warlock?

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Why? Did I crush your hopes and dreams of making a power-gamed Warlock?

No, but you just contributed noise to this thread while insisting it was signal.

 

[Drowbane]

No, but you just contributed noise to this thread while insisting it was signal.

Just a bit.

Um, yeah.

Back to topic. Nobody in my group has the book yet, but I'm looking forward to seeing it in play.

 

[TarionzCousin]

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.

All good points.

I just bought Complete Mage and have skimmed most of it. I really like the idea of reserve feats and recommend the book for players of arcane classes.

At a glance, all of the reserve feats' effects are less impactful than the eldritch blast's. For example, Storm Bolt used by a 5th level wizard with Lightning Bolt memorized would do 3d6 electrical damage with a fixed range of 20 feet. A 5th level warlock's unmodified eldritch blast also does 3d6 damage, but it is not subject to any known resistances and has a range of 60 feet.

 

[Asmor]

All good points.

I just bought Complete Mage and have skimmed most of it. I really like the idea of reserve feats and recommend the book for players of arcane classes.

At a glance, all of the reserve feats' effects are less impactful than the eldritch blast's. For example, Storm Bolt used by a 5th level wizard with Lightning Bolt memorized would do 3d6 electrical damage with a fixed range of 20 feet. A 5th level warlock's unmodified eldritch blast also does 3d6 damage, but it is not subject to any known resistances and has a range of 60 feet.

Of course, the lightning blast doesn't require an attack roll and doesn't allow a save. Might not allow spell resistance, either, I can never remember.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It's an oversight that the lightning bolt doesn't need a save. See the Complete Mage thread.

 

[BryonD]

Of course, the lightning blast doesn't require an attack roll and doesn't allow a save. Might not allow spell resistance, either, I can never remember.

I really think the "no save" part is just an error. In the other thread Ari said it got changed from a ranged touch to a line, so that makes sense that the addition of a save to replace the attack roll was just missed.

Though interestingly they are supernatural abilities and thus not subject to spell resistance.

Interesting that these obviously spell based abilities are supernatural when the warlock's unique blast is "spell-like". shrug