Feat pickin' time!

[Dannyalcatraz]

The thing about RodX that caught my eye was not so much the scaling +1 to attacks, but the static +1 to AC and Ref.

Meanwhile, BludgeonX boosted the damage and ancillary effects.

VersatileX was a puzzler, though. Pact weapons, sticky speaking, are not an implement type, but act like implements, so I'm guessing I can't choose them as part of the feat's bonus.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Revised list- in the running:

1) Focused Talent: Shaper (PSP p141): Minor Creation & Shaped Consciousness as Daily powers. Appeals to me very much from a RP perspective, but isn't the strongest from a mechanics view. Strongest mechanical aspect- Shaped Consciousness lets me extend the range and change the angle of attack with his Psion powers, 1/day

2) Sacrifice to Caiphon (DMA p50): if you miss all targets of a Warlock Encounter power, take damage equal to the power's level to recover the power. Tasty & powerful, but as a multiclassed PC, he won't have as many Warlock encounter powers as would be typical for his class- admittedly, only one less.

3) Rod Expertise
+1 Feat Bonus to implement att rolls you make with Rods (+2 at 11th, +3 at 21st), as well as +1 Shield bonus to AC & Ref. Boosts attacks and 2 of my defenses, including the AC I've been whining about.

Saving for later:

1) Bludgeon Expertise
+1 Feat Bonus to hammer/mace att rolls (+2 at 11th, +3 at 21st), as well as +1 Feat Bonus to push/slides with hammers/maces. Synergizes with Eldritch Strike well- hold on to this for if/when I retrain Eldritch Blast to Eldritch Strike. (8th & 10th level slots already allocated.)

Out of the running for the foreseeable future:

1) Melee Training PHB2 p187/HotFL p316: Choose ability other than Str- make MBAs w/proficient weapon using that stat's bonus for Att rolls & 1/2 bonus for damage. As per multiple advisors- not needed if I retrain Eldritch Blast to Eldritch Strike.

2) Durable PHB1 p194: +2 Healing Surges. Tough enough for now, and I get Dwarven Durability at Paragon- reconsider if/when Sacrifice to Caiphon proves too dangerous.

3) Toughness PHB p201: gain +5HP per tier. See my notes on Durable.

 

[Ferghis]

Has versitile expertise been errataed to give the bonus at the same levels as the other feats? As of printing, you got it half a tier (so, +2 at 15 rather than 11) behind the more recent expertise feats.

Yes. The bonuses now scale at levels 11 and 21.

Anyone thrilled by Versatile Expertise?

A bit less since the article on weapliment expertise feats came out (and was then revised) in Dragon 402. The one that might be relevant for you is:

You gain a +1 feat bonus to the attack rolls of arcane powers and basic attacks that you make with any weapon or implement with which you have proficiency. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and +3 at 21st level.
You also gain proficiency with orbs, rods, staffs, or wands.

Here's the article: Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Official Home Page - Article (Tools of Two Trades)

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Hey, thanks for the link! Alas, the relevant stuff is behind the paywall.

 

[Ferghis]

The only feat in that article that's relevant to your warlock character is the one I quoted the full benefit of. The only requirement is that your class have an arcane power source. Should you (and your DM) wish to use the feat, you have all the information about it. Also, the article has already been reviewed and updated since it was originally published, so it's less likely to be further updated.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I appreciate that, I really do- but I don't usually use sources that I don't have regular access to, either personally or through a fellow player.

The DM DOES have a DDI account, but I don't know if he's keeping it much longer (there have been some grumbles). I'll have to talk to him.

 

[Ferghis]

The DM DOES have a DDI account...

Not that I'm pushing you on this (I think some of the other feats are a better choice, honestly), but if he has an account, he should be able to download all the issues and articles, and keep them even after he's discontinued his account. The updates are public, so you'll be able to access them freely.