D&D 5E Warlock Class Feature: Exploding Blast

[Irda Ranger]

I'm redesigning the Warlock class for my home campaign to fix some of the issues that are frequently identified as "problems" with the class. One of those issues is the dominant strategy of Eldritch Blast + Agonizing Blast. It's just so obviously good that doing anything else is stupid. I don't like "stupid decisions", since they really aren't decisions.

Just so we have the numbers, below are the damage rolls (and average damage) for EB at various levels, assuming a optimal Charisma progression and Rod of the Pact Keeper [EDIT: It's been pointed out to me below that RotPK doesn't add to damage. Whoops! See comment below for revised relative damage numbers]. I make a point of noting it's Force damage because that's a benefit in itself; almost nothing is immune to force damage.

Eldritch Blast
1st: 1d10 (5.5) force
2nd: 1d10+3 (8.5) force
5th: 2d10+10 (21) force
11th: 3d10+21 (37.5) force
17th: 4d10+32 (54) force

As a reminder, the modifiers and average damage are so high because the +X from Charisma and RotPK apply to each beam. Further, because beams are targeted individually, you can focus fire on one target or hit multiple targets, so it's a quasi-AoE spell to boot.

So the solution I'm thinking of right now is to:

1) Give Warlocks access to all the other damaging Cantrips
2) Turn Agonizing Blast and Forceful Blast into class features that apply to all damaging Cantrips
3) Create a new class feature called "Exploding Blast" that applies to all single-target Cantrips (so EB doesn't get it), in order to keep the damage progression about the same.

Now the base damage for Fire Bolt looks like this [with the relative difference from EB's progression]:
1st: 1d10 (5.5) fire [-3]
5th: 2d10 (11) fire [-10]
11th: 3d10 (16.5) fire [-21]
17th: 4d10 (22) fire [-32]

If you add in Agonizing Blast and RotPK you get this:
1st: 1d10+3 (8.5) fire [-0]
5th: 2d10+5 (16) fire [-5]
11th: 3d10+7 (23.5) fire [-14]
17th: 4d10+8 (30) fire [-24]

So Fire Bolt (without further modification) is fire (not force), only one target, and less damage.

My proposed fix is a new Warlock class feature "Exploding Blast", which you get at 5th level. That might sound early to you, but realize that EB starts getting multiple CHA/RotPK damage bonuses at 5th level too. So that's where the imbalance starts.

Exploding Blast
Starting at 5th level, if you use a Cantrip that requires an attack roll and targets a single creature, you can cause your Cantrip to explode on a hit. You deal full Cantrip damage versus the initial target and to every creature (other than yourself) within 5' of the initial target, but only the initial target is subject to the effects of Agonizing Blast and Forceful Blast. At 17th level the explosion radius improves to 10 feet.

Every now and then you'll be able to get 4-5 targets, but based on my experience enemies don't always stand right next to each other. You'll probably be lucky to get 2 targets most of the time, and the average might be 1.75. Also, see the guidelines in the DMG, page 249, which recommends dividing the radius of a Circle AoE by 5 get the number of targets. So if we use 1.5x as a multiplier for the damage for levels 5-17, and 2x starting at 17th level, we get-

1st: 1d10+3 (8.5) fire [-0]
5th: 2d10+5 (16) fire [+7]
11th: 3d10+7 (41.125) fire [+3.6]
17th: 4d10+8 (60) fire [+6]

So you can see it does a bit more damage, but then it's also Fire damage, not Force. Many monsters are immune to that, so you'll either need multiple Cantrips or rely on your Spell Slots for those enemies.

What do you think? Does this look about right to you?

 

[rczarnec]

Rod of the Pact Keeper doesn't add to damage, so your initial assumptions are off. If you are houseruling it to add to damage, then the first step should be to reverse that decision.

 

[Voi_D_ragon]

Rod of the Pact Keeper doesn't add to damage, so your initial assumptions are off. If you are houseruling it to add to damage, then the first step should be to reverse that decision.

This. Also, you worded so that the explosion would hit allies as well as enemies, but that may be intentional. Also, doing 4d10 damage in a 10ft area at will (let's say equivalent to a 2nd leven spell) is waaay op. Now consider that's actually 40 damage guaranteed and not the average (22), since that's the way you worded it, even if you -do- have a chance to miss and it -is- the most resisted damage type in the game, that seems too much for me.
And believe me, I hate shooting down ideas without giving solutions, but since the warlock loses out on spell slots and spell flexibility (especially at higher levels) compared to other casters, I think having a really good cantrip balances it out alright.

PS This just hit me, you could just allow the other cantrips, when cast by a warlock, to split like EB instead of upping their damage. As for invocations, maybe make it so Agonizing Blast can be applied to two (?) cantrips when you choose it.

PPS looks like I did propose a solution after all

 

[Ganymede81]

If you learn Firebolt, you could use Exploding Blast to do the FPS trick of aiming the RPG at the floor under your target's feet instead of the target itself.

Edit: this is only true if you mean the Twin Spell definition of "targets a single creature." If you instead mean something like "and target only a single creature with this casting of the spell," you might want to hone your language as the language you have now would also mean you can use this ability with Eldritch Blast.

 

[Irda Ranger]

Rod of the Pact Keeper doesn't add to damage, so your initial assumptions are off. If you are houseruling it to add to damage, then the first step should be to reverse that decision.

Whoops! YOU ARE RIGHT!

This also means I need to fix my character sheet, since I'm playing a Warlock in another guy's campaign.

The change moves the relative damage of Fire Bolt + Exploding Blast to:

Fire Bolt:
1st: -3
5th: -8
11th: -15
17th: -20

Fire Bolt + Agonizing Blast:
1st: 0
5th: -4
11th: -10
17th: -15

Fire Bolt + Agonizing Blast + Exploding Blast:
1st: 0
5th: +3.5
11th: +0.75
17th: +12

However, if you keep the radius at 5' permanently (aka, don't increase the multiplier at 17th level), you get the following relative damage differences:

Fire Bolt + Agonizing Blast + Exploding Blast:
1st: 0
5th: +3.5
11th: +0.75
17th: -1.5

So that's pretty close. And you still have the problem of it being fire damage.

 

[Irda Ranger]

Also, you worded so that the explosion would hit allies as well as enemies, but that may be intentional.

That's intentional. That's why I made the AoE optional, so if you're using Shocking Grasp near your allies you can choose to not use it.

Also, doing 4d10 damage in a 10ft area at will (let's say equivalent to a 2nd leven spell) is waaay op. Now consider that's actually 40 damage guaranteed and not the average (22), since that's the way you worded it, even if you -do- have a chance to miss and it -is- the most resisted damage type in the game, that seems too much for me.

It's not supposed to be 2x damage to primary target; they get base Cantrip + Agonizing Blast, and creatures within 5' get base Cantrip damage only. It's only 40 damage "guaranteed" if you can guarantee always having two targets within the AoE. Which you can't guarantee. The DMG suggests a 2x multiplier for 10' radius and a 1x multiplier for 5' radius. Obviously that's a rule of thumb though.

PS This just hit me, you could just allow the other cantrips, when cast by a warlock, to split like EB instead of upping their damage.

That's another approach, yeah.

 

[ccs]

I have a question.

You talk about how YOU don't like x, how you think doing anything but EB is stupid, etc. But your the DM. How do your players feel about the warlock?
Do they think doing x is stupid? Do they want all thier damage cantrips exploding without actually choosing that option?

I ask because when I look at the Warlock I see a class with so much varied potential beyond just doing damage.

 

[Voi_D_ragon]

It's not supposed to be 2x damage to primary target; they get base Cantrip + Agonizing Blast, and creatures within 5' get base Cantrip damage only. It's only 40 damage "guaranteed" if you can guarantee always having two targets within the AoE. Which you can't guarantee. The DMG suggests a 2x multiplier for 10' radius and a 1x multiplier for 5' radius. Obviously that's a rule of thumb though.

Oh, I misinterpreted "full". I though you meant "maximum", my bad then. I'll have to re-check my ideas.

 

[Irda Ranger]

Do they want all thier damage cantrips exploding without actually choosing that option?

It's always optional whether it explodes or not, if you read the proposed rule.

I ask because when I look at the Warlock I see a class with so much varied potential beyond just doing damage.

Me too. I'm playing a Warlock currently and love all that other stuff. That's why I'm just trying to make the cantrip choices more interesting than "always take EB+AB".

 

[Irda Ranger]

Just thinking out loud to myself, I realize that part of the single-target vs AoE comparison must be that everyone in the AoE makes their own Save. Having everything dependent on just one attack roll makes it swingy, but also allows you to game the system. If a boss is standing next to a mook, target the mook. You probably hit, and the boss gets hit automatically.

So I should probably change this from "hit the target + 5' blast" to "10 foot square AoE, everyone makes Save".