Warlock: the time it takes to use his abilities

[Altamont Ravenard]

Ok.

A warlock eldritch blast is a spell-like ability that takes 1 standard action to use.

A warlock has many invocations (other spell-like abilities) that directly affect his eldritch blast. Some affect the nature of the blast, others affect the shape of the blast. A warlock may modify his blast's nature (essence, IIRC) and shape at the same time.

Using a spell-like ability, unless otherwise noted, is a standard action.

How long does it take for a warlock to use a cone-shaped, sickening blast (for example)? Is it a standard action to activate the eldritch cone invocation, another standard action to activate the sickening black invocation, and finally, ANOTHER standard action to shoot the damn blast? Or have I not read the book thoroughly and it's just a standard action to shoot a modified eldritch blast?

Thanks in advance, and sorry if this happens to be a moot question..

AR

 

[Staffan]

As far as I can tell, using a modified eldritch blast is a single standard action even if you apply modifiers to it.

 

[Sejs]

Standard action, modified or unmodified. The later alterations change how the EB manifests, rather than are used independantly to be followed by an EB.

 

[Timeboxer]

I think the key here is page 130, which states, "These invocations... must be used in conjunction with eldritch blast to generate an effect." In other words, the invocations are part of the eldritch blast standard action -- conjoined, as it were.

A friend of mine is trying to convince me that "conjunction" here means "You do one invocation, then another invocation, then another invocation, then your eldritch blast," but I think this is far from the designers' meaning.

 

[Particle_Man]

The way I see these things, the "Standard action" thing should be read like named bonuses: they don't stack, they overlap.

Thus Hideous Blow and the meelee attack that goes with it is one standard action, and is all done in one round. No "set up" time required.

And Eldritch Blast + Frightening Blast + Eldritch Cone takes one standard action, and is all done in one round. No "set up" time required.

But they still seem to have Somatic Components (all in the wrist with Hideous Blow?), chance of ASF in medium/heavy armor or with shields, draw an Aoo and can be disrupted by the Aoo they draw, etc. Invoking on the defensive is needed, I guess.

Hijack on names: I guess you could call an Eldritch Blast + Frightening Blast + Eldritch Cone a "Frightening Cone", since (except for Hideous Blow), you can trade in the words of one type for Eldritch and the words of the other type for Blast. I suppose you could have a "Frightening Blow", "Noxious Blow", etc., if you mix them with Hideous Blow, but make sure your players are mature.

 

[RolandOfGilead]

WOTC Cust support says you have to use noxious blow, then cone, then blast each time you want to do it. thus three rounds.

Course, they're idiots.

Truth is, I think what happens is more like this:
Most warlock invocations have 24 hr duration.
So any eldritch essence or blast shape invocation lasts 24 hours unless
cancelled.
make sense?
if you want to change later, you have to use a standard action to invoke a new blast shape or essence, but if you remain the same, it lasts all day.

 

[Altamont Ravenard]

cool, thanks.

AR