Warlocks - players and DM's - your thoughts

[Mystery Man]

I'm looking for some experience here.

One of my players is thinking of playing a warlock and I want to know from players who have played the class how you feel the class plays in different situations. And DM's how has the class affected your campaign.

Discuss.

 

[Jdvn1]

They don't seem particularly strong in combat, but they make decent support characters. I'm not sure they get enough invocations.

 

[GandhitheBFG]

Warlocks as in CA?

I liked the idea; "Look at me! I can scare the bejeezus out of peasants, and do cool magical blasty things when i feel like it!"

Then I played one. Gets old, fast. In my opinion, anyway, there should be more invocations. Since you have little flexibility once they're chosen, you should have some before choosing them, if you see what I mean. Although Fell Flight annoyed the hell out of my DM, which is always fun..

 

[Dalamar]

I've played a dark elven warlock, starting from 12th level. So far it's been great, especially since the campaign is combat-focused so I get the most out of my Eldritch Blast. It's also nice to have a limited but endless supply of tricks. My DM let me choose telekinesis as a greater invocation, and it has proven to be a nice utility item (both for limited flight and some disarming).
Despite the much lower ACs that I need to hit thanks to attacks being touch attacks, I've managed to miss alot ("Curse you, Natural 1!"), and the damage isn't humongous. However, since the party doesn't have an actual arcane caster, the damage I can do is appreciated.

My overall impression is that what the warlock loses in overall efficiency, it gains in lasting power and flavor. A really nice class to play. And Repelling Blast on a Huge creature makes for a great visual

 

[Crothian]

Boring and abusiable.

 

[Mystery Man]

One of my concerns is the ranged touch attack for everything. Since touch attacks are much easier to hit overall I'm worried about other players getting overshadowed.

 

[Kunimatyu]

Warlocks make much better enemy spellcasters for the DM, in much the same way that Favored Souls make better enemy clerics -- simpler powers, more dramatic visuals, and a slightly more combat-focused setup than a typical wizard or cleric. For example, the 'warlockforged' of Keith Baker's that we fought at Winter Fantasy still stands out in my mind. His armor plating was...wrong and oddly assymetrical, and he kept drawing glowing red energy from a weird dragonmark on his body and hurling it at the players.

In terms of actually -playing- warlocks? A warlock has much more in common with a fighter than a wizard. They don't require as much/any forethought to play, unlike a wizard, but they do have useful abilities that they can use time and again, like a fighter.

 

[Corsair]

One of my concerns is the ranged touch attack for everything. Since touch attacks are much easier to hit overall I'm worried about other players getting overshadowed.

Compared to the amount of damage a power attacking barbarian, divine might + smiting paladin or archer with improved rapid shot and 1 or 2 elemental effects on his bow can do, you don't have much to worry about.

Warlocks play much like archers with a few extra tricks. Some of them will cause unexpected issues (Flee the Scene can screw up a DM's best laid plans when used over and over and over and over), but none of them are terribly overpowerful.

 

[Voadam]

It is nice not to have to deal with spell preparation. They are ready to go for the player, always.

They really screw up the captured, disarmed, and imprisoned scenarios.

 

[Archade]

I think the Warlock is what the Sorcerer should have been -- this is ad-hoc, natural casting without spell components or 'Bigbys Gesticulating Hand' spells just like wizards.

We've had two in my players' group, and I don't find them overpowering at all. In fact, it's the only new base class I'm allowing.