Warlocks...how do they play?

[gamecat]

Oh man, now you've got me wanting to play a Warlock/Soulknife gestalt! *drool*

I'm currently playing that combo.

Hideous blow + psychic strike + Greater Psionic Weapon

Nxwtypx needs to hit you once to kill you.

 

[Nightfall]

I see someone who confuses chaotic nuetral with chaotic evil.

Nah because CE would be more like "I kill the paladin while he's droning on and on about morality, take some gold, have my way with the local populace and while I'm at it, sell my soul to some Demonic entity.

Thanks very much for the replies. From everything that was said, I believe that, though cool, the Warlock is not the class for me. I'll have to look into the Psion now...

Thanks,
Matt

I honestly doubt you'll be any happier but that's just me.

 

[Nightfall]

*double post*

 

[Thyrkill]

Nightfall-What makes you say that? I am curious...I mostly DM and so picking a PC is a difficult task for me (haven't actually been a player in over 2 years). Your input would be very helpful.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[Nightfall]

My problems stem mostly from the fact that a) while 3.5 psionics are a step up from the 3.0 version, there is still a lack of differentiating psionic magic from regular magic. now you can obviously do this in your own games, but I always felt that the two are completely different. b) psions to me seem like wizards instead of guys like Prof X and/or Jean Grey. Those are how I believe psionics should work. c) primarily the factor that you want to use an arcane class but you seem hesitant on using Warlocks.

If you want something with arcane spellcasting but not necessarily limited to that, Warmage, Spellthief, Hexblade, Duskblade (though I prefer Mageblade from AU/AE), and perhaps Archivist present some decent options in that area.

If I'm wrong Thrill, let me know. But that's just my opinion.

 

[airwalkrr]

Actually it is more like saying a soulknife isn't based on his mindblade.

...except that EVERY SINGLE soulknife ability is based on combat. Warlocks have 12 invocations which can be used for all sorts of things that have little or nothing to do with combat. The soulknife is a martial class that focuses on fighting. The warlock is an arcane class with unlimited "blasting" potential but limited "troubleshooting" potential. It is not appropriate to compare an arcane class with a martial class.

Soulknives have a real similar list of class skills to the warlock and more hit points to boot.

But no social skills, proving yet again it is a martial class (with a little bit of scouting ability that is solely from skills and not from class abilities, which the warlock does have).

A warlock does revolve around his eldritch blast, he has other things going for him - but his single most anchoring clas ability his is eldritch blast.

No. A warlock's eldritch blast is a useful tool for letting him contribute in battle (because otherwise he would have a very tough time doing so) just like the rogue's sneak attack is a useful tool for letting him contribute in battle (because otherwise he would also have a very tough time doing so). It is only ONE of his MANY signature abilities, not THE signature ability. His phenomenal UMD ability (take 10) plus his 12 invocations definitely have the potential to overshadow eldritch blast and in the hands of a good player they always will.

 

[Nightfall]

*always thought Soul knives should have stayed a prestige class*

 

[Thyrkill]

I appreciate your input Nightfall!

My choice for arcane is mostly due to wanting to play something other than a Fighter-type (my usual PC). Having not played in awhile, I was looking at some "interesting" choices, such as the Warlock (hence my original post), the Psion (never used psionics before, but do see your points), or possibly a cleric (mostly to help the party out if need be). I guess I'm trying to go for the knowlegable, thinking side of the party.

Matt

 

[I'm A Banana]

Psions are definately their own kind of weird beast. IMO, this fits with D&D as a mishmash of fantasy archetypes. Wizards are "learned magic," Sorcerers are "natural magic," Psions are "physical magic" acquired through more body and mind expanding exercises (meditating, drugs, tatoos, sleep deprivation, etc.). I've got no problem fitting them into my worldview, but they ain't the Professor X or Jean Grey or Yuri Geller archetype, that's fo sho.

Mechanically, the big thing about the psion is that they're at the OTHER end of the endurance spectrum from the Warlock. It's really easy to blow your total power load in a few encounters and be left kind of limping along for the rest of the day, if your party likes a lot of daily encounters. Of course, if you're just doing one or two a day, you're likely to seem more powerful than your wizards or sorcerer allies, because when they've run out of their most potent juice and only have lower-level bits and pieces left, you're still blowin' stuff up.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've got no problem fitting them into my worldview, but they ain't the Professor X or Jean Grey or Yuri Geller archetype, that's fo sho.

They also aren't Gil "The Arm" Hamilton or Charlene "Charlie" McGee.

Basically, they're kind of in the middle of the power level you see in the Psis of genre fiction.