I <3 my warlock

[MadMaxim]

How do you maximize and empower your Eldritch Blast?
It's been a while since I looked over that book, and I don't have it near at hand.

Empower Spell-Like Ability (Monster Manual) and Maximize Spell-Like Ability (Complete Arcane). However, I'm not sure if you can use both on the same eldritch blast, but I guess you can since you can slap more than one metamagic feat on a single spell. Nice move, Sammael.

 

[Crothian]

It's the Spell-Like Ability Metamagic feats, from the MM and CA. Each can be used 3/day on the SLA you take it for. They're a Warlock's bread and butter.

its a sad class that has to have feats like this to give it a bread and butter

 

[Jeremy E Grenemyer]

I have become smarter.

Thankee!

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Ah, yea. Doh.
Invocation = Spell Like Ability.

This troubles us, my precious.

--fje

 

[Kurotowa]

Ah, yea. Doh.
Invocation = Spell Like Ability.

This troubles us, my precious.

The class is a strange one, but strange in an inventive way that isn't just a derivation of the core four. Which is probably what attracts so many people to it. I've just started playing one and I'm still getting the feel for the class. They're hard to describe precisely because they aren't like any of the core four classes. Mine is a mix of uber-face, mobile archer, and emergancy backup caster. On the one hand, Maximize SLA is his only way to get a spike in performance. On the other, how many characters will let you say, "I Take 20 on my Dispel check." Warlock is an odd class.

 

[Sammael]

The warlock is not overpowered at all. Look at it this way: at 10th level, he can use one eldritch blast per round, doing 5d6 damage. In comparison, a 10th level sorcerer with Cha 12 can cast up to 20 scorching rays per day, doing 2x(4d6) damage per casting. Sure, if the campaign is such that there will be a need for more than 20 attacks per day, the warlock may have a slight edge. But then, you're not taking into account all the other stuff the sorcerer can do (and bear in mind that sorcerers are generally underpowered).

The 10th level sorcerer could instead throw a bunch of fireballs, doing 10d6 damage to all enemies in a 20 ft. burst, which means that he does as much damage as a warlock even to enemies who pass their saves. A warlock who misses his ranged touch (and it has happened to me a couple of times) does no damage whatsoever.

At 10th level, the sorcerer knows 15 different spells of levels 1-5. The warlock of same level knows only 6 invocations. Additionally, that same warlock probably spent at least one (but more likely 2 or even 3) of his invocations on eldritch shape - so his flexibility is reduced even further.

As for Maximize and Empower SLA, they are nice, but they only bump the warlock to be on par with equivalent-level characters. Look at this: a 10th level warlock can empower and maximize his eldritch blast 3/day, doing 30 + (5d6/2) damage, average 38 damage, per round. 38 damage per round? That's less than what a moderately optimized fighter can do at that level, and WAY below what a min/maxed fighter can achieve. But the warlock really cannot be min/maxed much beyond taking those Metamagic SLA feats. If I live to see 13th level, I'll take a level of fighter to get Improved Critical for my eldritch blast, but that's about it. I could take it at 12th level, but that's reserved for Quicken SLA, of course.

EDIT: needless to say, unlike a fighter, a warlock is REALLY screwed if he gets grappled, since invocations use somatic components. He's even weaker than a sorcerer of wizard in this respect, because his version of dimension door (flee the scene) is also an invocation and also requires somatic components.

About the <3... hey, it was 2 am and I was tired, using an emoticon seemed like a good idea at the time.

 

[Zappo]

Aye. In my experience, the warlock is not overpowered at all. On the surface, the idea of casting spells at will and shooting (lev/2)d6 damage per round as a touch attack can seem impressive. But when you go and try it, it isn't that great.

When you cast at will, you discover that the number of occasions per day where a given spell is useful can be a substantial limiting factor. And the damage is mediocre, even if it almost always hits. The various ways to increase it are just to make it decent.

I don't like the warlock, but that's because it feels like an X-Man to me rather than a fantasy hero... not because of balance issues.

 

[Sammael]

I don't like the warlock, but that's because it feels like an X-Man to me rather than a fantasy hero... not because of balance issues.

Funny you should say that. I've been craving to play in a superhero game for a long time, so the warlock may be a subconscious expression of my RPG desires. Or something.

I can really see where you got the notion, as I've been playing my character with a certain "theme" (typical of superheroes) - "wind" in my case. That explains the flight, the entropic shield, and even the eldritch blast to a certain extent (I describe it as a strong blast of wind). Hmmm.

 

[MadMaxim]

Funny you should say that. I've been craving to play in a superhero game for a long time, so the warlock may be a subconscious expression of my RPG desires. Or something.

I can really see where you got the notion, as I've been playing my character with a certain "theme" (typical of superheroes) - "wind" in my case. That explains the flight, the entropic shield, and even the eldritch blast to a certain extent (I describe it as a strong blast of wind). Hmmm.

Yeah, it's got Cyclops written all over it