diggerariel said:
I am considering playing a 3.5 Warlock for the first time ever. It seems that the class ability & incantation variations will make for a uniquely fun & intersting character to play. Of course, one of the dominant ablities of the Warlock is the Eldritch Blast, so I have a question for all of you rules & number people out there. In your opinion, as I move up in levels from 5 to 10 to 15 to 20 & beyond (hopefully), what is the absolutely best and/or most efficient way(s) to have the most unstoppable Blast (spell resistance, etc.) as well as putting out absolutely the MOST possible points of damage per blast? What is the most efficient order of Feats, Incantations to take, Prestige Class to consider (if any), etc. etc.?? The more detailed the better.
I realize that different people will obiviously have different opinions or experiences, but I am looking forward to reading what YOU think on the matter. How can I have the "ultimate" Eldritch Blast as a 3rd level Warlock? A 5th level Warlock? A 10th level Warlock? A 15th level Warlock? A 20th level Warlock? ..... you get my drift
The only books that my DM will allow in his game are the basic ones for 3.5 plus any of the "Complete" books (Complete Arane, Complete Mage, etc. etc.).
Using the Books you've specified, you've gotta grab the feats Empower Spell-like Abiltity (Eldritch Blast) and Quicken Spell-Like Ability (Eldritch Blast) as quick as possible, and get your hands on a Warlock's Scepter.
You also want to take Vitriolic Blast at 11 th Level (the earliest you can take it) because the acidic blast is not subject to spell resistance.
However, if you were to include as little as three other books, you're cooking! Fiendish Codex II has the Hellfire Warlock whick you can take as low as level 10 which adds 2d6 damage per level (at the cost of 1 Con damage every time you use it), and the damage is Hellfire, a type of infernal energy which burns hotter than fire and even devils and red dragons can be hurt by it. You'll also need the PHB 2 for its retraining rules.
Also, the Purify Spell-Like Ability feat from Book of Exalted Deeds allows you to do d8s for damage instead of d6s for your Eldtritch Blasts if used against evil outsiders.
So let's spell it out.
Lvl 1 Feat: Purify Spell-Like Ability [Eldritch Blast]
Lvl 3 Feat: Point Blank Shot. +1 to attack and damage for your Eldritch Blast at 30 ft and under
Lvl 6 Feat: Empower Spell-Like Ability [Eldritch Blast]
Lvl 9 Feat: Precise Shot. Fire into melee without penalty.
Start taking Hellfire Warlock levels at Level 10.
Lvl 10: Retrain Purify Spell-Like Ability [Eldritch Blast] into Purify Spell-Like Ability [Hellfire Blast].
Level 11: Retrain Empower Spell-Like Ability [Eldritch Blast] into Empower Spell-Like Ability [Hellfire Blast].
Lvl 12 Feat: Quicken Spell-Like Ability [Hellfire Blast].
Somewhere along the line, get your hands on a Warlock's Scepter.
Do all this, and for one round a day, as a Warlock 9 / Hellfire Warlock 3, you can fire off a quickened, empowered hellfire blast and an empowered hellfire blast charged with your Warlock's Scepter, totalling 29d6 x 1.5 damage, for an average of 152 points of Blast damage (d8 vs evil outsiders, for an average of 195 damage). This will cost you 2 Con points of damage.
Without the other three books, you can still do an quickened, empowered Eldritch blast plus an empowered Eldritch Blast charged by the Warlock's Scepter, totalling 17d6 x 1.5 damage, averaging 89.25 damage. All by Level 12.
