Hideous Blow Question

[Calico_Jack73]

I've got a question about Hideous Blow for the Warlock...

Since it is an Invocation I assume that it provokes an AOE if used in melee (which is the only place you'd use it). Casting on the defensive is the only way to avoid it.

Am I correct? Kinda seems a pain to roll Concentration prior to every melee attack roll for the Warlock.

 

[interwyrm]

As far as I understand, it doesn't include the attack in the action required to charge it up.

You charge your weapon beforehand and then unleash it when you hit.

 

[Calico_Jack73]

So you "Charge" your weapon on the round before stepping into melee range and on the following round you step in and take your swing? You effectively get to make a melee attack every other round?

YUCK!!!

Why on earth would anyone take it? Wouldn't it make more sense to take a 5' step away from the enemy and blast it with an Eldritch Blast? Let me compare them...

5' step back and Eldritch Blast
1) Ranged Touch Attack (much easier to hit)
2) Attack every round
3) Can be combined with other Blast Shapes to hit more enemies

Hideous Blow in Melee
1) Normal attack (must take armor into account)
2) Used every other round
3) Provokes an AoO if the invocation is used while threatened

A Warlock who is backed into a corner is going to be making Concentration checks anyway. If he uses Hideous Blow to charge his melee weapon he'll be taking attacks of opportunity every round he uses the Invocation. If he uses Eldritch Blast against someone directly in front of them he'll be provoking attacks of opportunity every round but at least he'll be blasting every round too (with an improved chance to hit too).

Somebody please give me a situation where Hideous Blow is worthwhile. Please take into account AoO's.

 

[Azaar]

Not that it's a real help until epic levels, but the Eldritch Sculptor epic feat for warlocks (there's a .zip file on the WoTC website for it, as well as several other nifty feats for the epic warlock) will be a real boon. You have to have a blast shape essence in least, lesser, greater and dark invocations, along with 24 ranks of Spellcraft. But, no more AoOs with Hideous Blow, and the range/area of effect for all other blast shapes are doubled. However, you're still better off with eldritch blasts, because with Eldritch Sculptor you can fire two a round. Either way, you get a +2 attack bonus with all uses of eldritch blast.

I just picture combining that with Lord of All Essences and firing two eldritch blasts a round, with two different eldritch essences. I'll have to get Extra Invocation twice to get a least and a lesser essence invocation, but that might be worth it.

At any rate, look up the Epic Insights archive for 10/27/2006 for the Warlock... I think you might like what's possible with the Epic Warlock.

 

[irdeggman]

From the FAQ:

Does a warlock’s hideous blow invocation (Complete Arcane, page 134) require one standard action to use the hideous blow and another round to strike with a melee
weapon, or can the hideous blow and the melee weapon attack be done as a single standard action?

Making an attack with hideous blow is considered part of the same standard action as using the hideous blow invocation (much like the casting of a touch spell allows an attack to be
made as part of the spell’s casting).

Does hideous blow provoke an attack of opportunity?

Yes. As a spell-like ability, using hideous blow provokes attacks of opportunity just as any other spell-like ability would. A warlock who relies on this invocation should consider
investing ranks in the Concentration skill so that he can use it defensively.

Note that the act of using the invocation, not the act of making the attack, draws the attack of opportunity, since the warlock delivering hideous blow is considered “armed” (just
like a spellcaster delivering a touch spell).

Basically it is like a touch spell.

And yes it is a pretty much useless invocation, IMO. Unless you have some sort of powerful (and enchanted) melee weapon to use with it.

But warlocks, IMO, are not very optimal for melee at all.