Warlock Ideas

[RSR]

Hi all,

I have to make a character in 24-48 hours and don't have a lot of time to look through all the books. So I'm asking all of you for some ideas.

Some Background info:
We are starting at first level with 2 characters (second will probably be a Marshall). We will be fighting lots of large battles with enemies helped bij NPC's. And some small dungeon type of battles with the 2 of us. But it's mainly to try out the large battles.

Books allowed are: Core, Races of xxx, Complete xxx, Miniatures (maybe some other official books, but have to check those with the DM)

Can you post me some of your ideas about the Warlock?
1: What is a good race?
2: What are good feats to take?
3: Are there any prestige classes worth taking?
4: Invocations you must have?
5: Maybe some of your own opnions about the class!


Thnx in advance

 

[atom crash]

IIRC the warlock as written isn't necessarily effective against large groups. You'll have to take care to choose invocations and feats that will increase your effectiveness and survivability against large groups of opponents. Take a blast shape invocation that turns your eldritch blast (a ray) into a cone. Also look into the invocations that make your eldritch blast into a sickening or frightening blast in order to weaken or incapacitate your opponents when you are outnumbered.

 

[Kurotowa]

Can you post me some of your ideas about the Warlock?
1: What is a good race?
2: What are good feats to take?
3: Are there any prestige classes worth taking?
4: Invocations you must have?
5: Maybe some of your own opnions about the class!

First, do be aware that Warlocks don't really get good at mass battles until they get Greater Invocations at 11th level. At which point they get very good, but until then they're best at sniping and hexing.

1: Human. Warlocks are feat dependent and skill starved. The human bonuses help a great deal.
2: At 1st level, Point Blank Shot and Precise Shot. You'll be firing into melee a lot and even with a touch attack the -4 penalty can hurt. Later on look into Maximize SLA, Sudden Still, and Extra Invocation.
3: Not really. Warlocks get enough class features that they're more like Druids or Monks. A PrC isn't a big step up for them. Plus there's very little selection.
4: Depends on the style. A social type need Beguiling Influance. Spiderwalk is good for staying out of reach of trouble. Eldritch Spear will let you fight from well to the rear of the battle. And everyone loves Baleful Utterance.
5: I'm playing one and I'm enjoying myself. They're not a caster and they'll never have a caster's power or flexability. But if you're not looking for that they're a great class for a magical fighter.

 

[Scion]

human is definately good. You can get darkvision and/or lowlight vision pretty easily from various invocations and other places.

Feats are very good and the warlock will never have enough. Later on it is likely most of your feats will go towards extra invocations.. for better overall utility and power.

I think that enlightened fist is actually a pretty cool prc to go into if you can swing it. You lose some DR and such but gain some very interesting abilities. It could be worth the tradeoff for certain builds.

Must have invocations depends completely on the character type and what classes and feats you pick up.

as you get a better idea there it will be easier to give advice on invocations

Edit: Thinking about the marshal more I'd have to ask what sort of character you are going for.

If you get Beguiling Influence invocation, max out charisma, pick up the aura which boosts charisma based skills, and max out bluff/diplomacy/intimidate (with diplomacy being best) you could have a 'huge' check easily.

18 charisma, 5 ranks in sense motive, 5 ranks in bluff, and negotiator feat would make for +28 at level 2. Quite respectable!
/Edit

 

[brehobit]

Just want to agree with everyone else that the warlock is fairly sub-optimal for large battles. The warmage on the other hand is wonderful....

 

[Scion]

if you concentrate on crowd control type effects such as walls and the like the warlock can hold his own in mass combat, hit and run tactics that last over a long period of time.. that can be where a character with unlimited abilities per day can really shine

stay hidden, sneak around, and shatter all sorts of important objects everytime someone leaves them unattended.. cause havok!

 

[cignus_pfaccari]

The warlock hireling in our group has proved absurdly useful. She delivered most of the damage that our 4th-level party did to a 6th-level antipaladin/hexblade. (A tanglefoot bagged guy in heavy armor can move, wow, 10'/move? Reverse kiting rules!)

If there were a mage hand-like invocation, a rogue/warlock would make a great arcane trickster.

Brad

 

[RSR]

Thnx for the quick reply from you all. If you got more ideas keep them comming!

I know it probably isn't the best mass battle character, but I wanted to try the warlock for some time now. And there won't come any opportunity for some time after this.

What kind of character I will play depends a bit on the stats I have. And there is at this point not yet know how they will be determined! But mainly thinking about taking out the rear end of the battles. The opponents wizzards and stuff!

 

[RigaMortus2]

It's not that they are bad at mass combat, it's just that they need to wait to high levels before they become good at it. When you can drop walls of fire and evards black tentacles every round, that will mess the enemy up badly

 

[Wish]

Agreed, at high levels warlocks are terrifying mass combatants. Evard's black tentacles at will (plus cold damage). That's just sick and wrong.

Low levels - go for point blank and precise shot. Halfling (for the size and dex bonuses to hit) or human are the way to go for races. Our party's warlock has found himself some of those nifty damage boosting things - chausible or something like that? His effectiveness jumped up markedly when he did.