Warlock - Frightening or Sickening Blast?

[Shellman]

Thanee,

I think you might want to look at it again,

Per the PHB,

Frightened: Fearful of a creature, situation, or object. A frightened creature flees from the source of its fear as best it can. If unable to flee, it may fight. A frightened creature takes a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. A frightened creature can use special abilties, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape.

Sickened: Mildly ill. A sickened creature takes a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.

Shaken: Mildly fearful. A shaken character takes a -2 penalty on all attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.

Per Complete Arcane,

Frightful Blast: Any creature struck by a frightful blast must succeed on a ill save or be shaken for 1 minute. A shaken creature struck by a frightful blast is not affected by the shaken aspect of the blast but takes damage normally. Creatures with immunity to mind-affecting spells and abilities or fear affects cannot be shaken by a frightful blast.

Sickening Blast: Any living creature struck by a sickening blast must make a Fortitude save or become sickened for 1 minute. A sickened creature struck by a second sickening blast is not affected by the sickening aspect of the blast but still takes damage normally.

I took your statement to mean that a creature could not be affected by both a frightening blast and a sickening blast. Otherwise shaken is a form of being frightened, but sickened is not the same as shaken or frightened; therfore, I would think a creature hit by a frightening blast and a sickening blast would suffer the affects from both. Since, afterall they force a creature to make two different saves. Also, yes affects from multiple hits from similar blasts do not stack.

 

[Thanee]

Hey Shellman!

Thank you, but, alas, you must have misunderstood me there...

I took your statement to mean that a creature could not be affected by both a frightening blast and a sickening blast.

The above "stacking issues" were with Frightening Blast and, for example, the Fear spell, or the blast with itself, but not with the two different kinds of blasts.

I'm aware that both blasts would stack, however, that surely won't happen, unless you happen to have two Warlocks in the party.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Rystil Arden]

Hey Shellman!

Thank you, but, alas, you must have misunderstood me there...



The above "stacking issues" were with Frightening Blast and, for example, the Fear spell, or the blast with itself, but not with the two different kinds of blasts.

I'm aware that both blasts would stack, however, that surely won't happen, unless you happen to have two Warlocks in the party.

Bye
Thanee

Or one Warlock that's really obsessed with penalties and so wastes all his invocations so he can switch off on them

 

[BigAlzBub]

From a mechanical point of view the fear effect is probably better, but I chose sickening blast because my GM is more likely to have enemies flee when the battle turns against them and they are under a "limited" fear effect.

 

[Rystil Arden]

From a mechanical point of view the fear effect is probably better, but I chose sickening blast because my GM is more likely to have enemies flee when the battle turns against them and they are under a "limited" fear effect.

So you don't want them to run? Wow, you're pretty bloodthirsty

 

[Pinotage]

A brief hijack here, but I've only recently looked at the warlock class and am I correct is saying that a lesser invocation can only be taken at 6th level? The text says that at that level you can swap out an invocation you know for another one, eithe least or lesser. But, if you only learn a least invocation at 6th level, mentioning least in that sentence is pointless?

Pinotage

 

[JimAde]

A brief hijack here, but I've only recently looked at the warlock class and am I correct is saying that a lesser invocation can only be taken at 6th level? The text says that at that level you can swap out an invocation you know for another one, eithe least or lesser. But, if you only learn a least invocation at 6th level, mentioning least in that sentence is pointless?

Pinotage

Yeah, that's really worded badly IMO. As I understand it, you can take Least invocations until 6th level, then you can take either Least or Lesser. Then at the next similar note (12th level or so?) you can start taking Greater, Least or Lesser. Basically if you always take the highest type of invocation available you end up with three of each at 20th leve, right?

 

[Thanee]

Yep, when it says "New Invocation" in the table, from then on you can choose higher levels of invocations (lesser (6th+), greater (11th+), dark (16th+) IIRC).

Bye
Thanee

 

[frankthedm]

Will saves are the ONLY saves one can even hope to nail a foe with later on. There are some monsters with poorish fort save, but those are few and far between and will often have a monster with a good fort save between it and you.

 

[Nail]

Actually, Reflex saves are the ones you can still nail monsters will, even at higher levels. Fort and Will saves tend to both be high....for all but poor fighter-classes humaniods.