Born of a supernatural bloodline, a warlock seeks to master the perilous magic that suffuses their soul. Many warlocks are champions for the forces of evil or chaos, sometimes both. Long ago, their ancestors forged grim pacts with dangerous extraplanar powers, trading away portions of their souls in exchange for supernatural power. While some warlocks have turned away from evil others still actively oppose it, they are still chained by the old pacts through which they derive their powers. The demand to further the designs of their dark patrons, or to resist them, drives most warlocks to seek the opportunities for power, wealth, and great deeds, for good or ill.
Unlike sorcerers, wizards, or other arcanists, who approach magic through the medium of spells, a warlock invokes powerful magic through willpower alone. By harnessing his innate magical gift through that and determination, a warlock can perform all manner of supernatural feats known as invocations, or otherwise scour their foes with eldritch power and raw magical energy. As their power grows, they are able to call upon the unnatural resilience of their patrons and resist the elements as they would.
WARNING: To cast an invocation, a warlock must have a Charisma score of 10 + the incantation's grade. For example, to cast a greater invocation, a warlock must have a Charisma of 14.
- Base Attack Bonus: +3 / 4 Levels.
- Hit Die: d6.
- Primary Saving Throws: Will.
- Proficiencies: All simple weapons and light armor. Warlocks are not proficient with shields.
- Skill Points (*4 at 1st level): 2 + Int Modifier.
- Spellcasting: Invocations (Charisma-based, no spell preparation, spell failure from medium and heavy armor, and shields is a factor)
- Ex-Warlocks: A warlock that is no longer either chaotic or evil loses all warlock spells and abilities and cannot gain levels until their alignment is either chaotic or evil again.
Class Skills: Antagonize, Concentration, Disguise, Heal, Influence, Lore, Parry, Spellcraft, and Use Magic Device.
Unavailable Skills: Animal Empathy.
ABILITIES:
Level
1: Eldritch Blast - At will, use eldritch power to deal magical damage.
3: Damage Reduction I - Gain 1/+1 damage reduction.
7: Damage Reduction II - Gain 2/+1 damage reduction.
8: Fiendish Resilience I (1x/day) - Fast healing 1.
10: Energy Resistance I - Gain 5 damage resistance vs 2 types of energy.
11: Damage Reduction III - Gain 3/+2 damage reduction.
13: Fiendish Resilience II (1x/day) - Fast healing 2.
15: Damage Reduction IV - Gain 4/+2 damage reduction.
18: Fiendish Resilience III (1x/day) - Fast healing 5.
19: Damage Reduction V - Gain 5/+3 damage reduction.
20: Energy Resistance II - Gain 10 damage resistance vs 2 types of energy.
INVOCATIONS:
Warlocks do not prepare or cast spells as other wielders of arcane magic do. Instead, they possess a repertoire of attacks, defenses, and abilities known as invocations that require them to focus the wild energy that suffuses their soul. A warlock can use any invocation he knows at will, with the following qualifications:
A warlock's invocations are spell-like abilities; using an invocation therefore provokes attacks of opportunity. An invocation can be disrupted, just as a spell can be ruined during casting. A warlock is entitled to a Concentration check to successfully use an invocation if he is hit by an attack while invoking, just as a spellcaster would be. A warlock's invocations are subject to spell resistance unless an invocation's description specifically states otherwise. A warlock's caster level with his invocations is equal to his warlock level.
The save DC for an invocation (if it allows a save) is 10 + equivalent spell level + the warlock's Charisma modifier. Since spell-like abilities are not actually spells, a warlock cannot benefit from the Spell Focus feat.
The four grades of invocations, in order of their relative power, are least, lesser, greater, and dark. A warlock begins with knowledge of one invocation, which must be of the lowest grade (least). As a warlock gains levels, he learns new invocations.
At any level when a warlock learns a new invocation, he can also replace an invocation he already knows with another invocation of the same grade.
Finally, unlike other spell-like abilities, invocations are subject to arcane spell failure chance from medium and heavy armor, and shields.
Will the prestige classes that would usually advance spellcasting level, add to the level of Eldritch Blast and existing invocations currently known?Probably not, since EB is a spell-like ability, and not an actual spell.
Multiclassing with prestige classes with Warlock is a bit unique.
Will the prestige classes that would usually advance spellcasting level, add to the level of Eldritch Blast and existing invocations currently known?
Multiclassing with prestige classes with Warlock is a bit unique.
At best, it seems like the warlock just does one thing in high level content, and that's hit the Eldritch Blast button (and try to survive and keep up with the group that does the actual work).
The Thieve's Bane invocation when EMPOWERED makes doors that are plot locked. They cannot be bashed or picked, there is no DC. It also does not remove the lock from the previous door.
Mordekainen's Disjunction cannot target a Thieve's Bane door.
Some dispels such as Voracious Dispelling are not correctly dispelling the Thieves' Bane "lock."
A normally cast Thieves' Bane does not correctly put the right DCs for unlocking or bashing the containers. The strength check for a level 20 warlock with 22 Charisma is a DC 38 Strength. A open lock DC is DC 36. Accord to the spell description this should be 40 Open Lock at level 20, and 30 Strength for bashing.
Counterspell mode did not seem to work on all spells, only "spells" the warlock knows, even when having a dispel invocation.
Metamagics can currently be used on Eldritch Blast, such as Empower Spell.
Ennervating Shadows currently spams the caster's combat log with the DC message.
Ennervating Shadows DC seems to be misleading, where it says in the combat log it is DC 1, but people clearly fail it so it is higher.
Eldritch Chain is not hitting more than 2 targets at higher levels.
Eldritch Chain is not working properly. The spell is supposed to "jump" between enemies up to 4 enemies at LVL 20 but is jumping only two times even if there are four more enemies inside the 30ft radius.
Something that also seemed odd about Eldritch Chain is it was prioritizing structures and placeables above actual enemies. The rolls seen below were taken with over 6 enemies in range. This also happens with enemies corpses.
Eldritch Doom is only hitting one target, appearing to be the closest target to the caster.
Enervating Shadows seems to force the caster to make fortitude saves.
Misamic cloud bestows concealment that is permanent.
Enervating Shadows and Miasmic Cloud seem to apply a bit randomly; they did not have any effect on Invidian foes (both invocation focuses, +5 Charisma bonus). Eldritch Doom also didn't hit all enemies in range consistently.
- Miasmic Cloud does not seem to be applying a movement penalty as intended.
The invocation Call of the Beast gives you animal Empathy points. However, AE, is a trained Skill that only Druids and Rangers get. Meaning that the boost doesn't work. Telling me I must have skill Ranks to use this ability.
An oversight; not sure yet if I'll fix this to be closer to PnP or keep it to make Eldritch Blast more powerful.
QuoteEldritch Chain is not hitting more than 2 targets at higher levels.
Eldritch Chain is not working properly. The spell is supposed to "jump" between enemies up to 4 enemies at LVL 20 but is jumping only two times even if there are four more enemies inside the 30ft radius.
Something that also seemed odd about Eldritch Chain is it was prioritizing structures and placeables above actual enemies. The rolls seen below were taken with over 6 enemies in range. This also happens with enemies corpses.
Eldritch Chain affects placeables/doors, which may explain why you guys see it affecting less creatures. I'll change it to only affect creatures though to make it more straightforward.
QuoteEldritch Doom is only hitting one target, appearing to be the closest target to the caster.
I think I've found the cause and fixed it on the test server, but best test again.
Layering damage spells shouldn't even be possible. In PnP you can't drop two Walls of Fire on the same space; you could do rows of them, but a creature would never take damage from ten walls when passing through one space.
An oversight; not sure yet if I'll fix this to be closer to PnP or keep it to make Eldritch Blast more powerful.
I think I'd recommend keeping it metamagickable. Right now, it feels like Warlocks need a bit more "oomph" to there damage for later game content. Sure, you can cheese certain things by layering your spells but that requires tons of buildup. With empowered, their damage is comparable to a basic orb spell cast by a wizard or sorcerer.
I tested on trying to solo content on the test server, like Cursts, and its certainly possible, but it is a slog. A wizard, sorcerer, or a mechanically apt warmage are able to solo things already in half the time. Though, if you don't want to take soloing as a measurement of class strength (understandably), I've been considering how they would fit into a dungeon. For most lower tier dungeons, they're going to be auxillary damage. They are there, but they aren't really doing much to help. Until they get Ennerving Shadows, they might even cause some issues with how the AI likes to run at people who are casting spells. For mid-tier content, they are going to be good at hitting things with Eldritch Chain and softening enemies up. Higher content, however, is where they are going to struggle. A lot of enemies will just dodge their touch attacks. Their DCs will be pretty solid for Charisma-focused Warlocks and spells like Eldritch Doom will have mild use against foes like Salt Shadows and Ebon Knight Harbingers, but it will likely be doing 15-52 damage on a save or fail. Against enemies like the Sleeping King and Malthor, however, I feel they are going to be totally useless because their saves and AC are tough to overcome.
One thing that got brought up back during the Warmage release was the idea of adding a Weapon Focus: Touch Attacks, and possible Improved Critical: Touch Attacks. I feel like if any class really, really needs something like that, it's going to be Warlock.
This still doesn't seem to be reliably jumping in clusters of enemies to other nearby foes, even ones that are surrounding you. It sometimes arcs to three, but rarely does it go to four. It may have to do with enemies that die during the chain, as I was testing on some Gremishka and Kreshnar in Hazlan. It also jumped to a herb node a couple of times still when one was nearby.
This does not seem to be fixed. Even with four enemies attacking me in melee, it only hit one enemy EXCEPT for once, when it hit two enemies.
QuoteThis still doesn't seem to be reliably jumping in clusters of enemies to other nearby foes, even ones that are surrounding you. It sometimes arcs to three, but rarely does it go to four. It may have to do with enemies that die during the chain, as I was testing on some Gremishka and Kreshnar in Hazlan. It also jumped to a herb node a couple of times still when one was nearby.
Can you try again? I had forgotten to change the script itself.QuoteThis does not seem to be fixed. Even with four enemies attacking me in melee, it only hit one enemy EXCEPT for once, when it hit two enemies.
I can't recreate this but I made a few tweaks to the script, maybe check if it's helped.
I resummoned one, and my character perceived the skeletal chieftain as being invis. I could not target it with anything, nor see it unless I was close enough for this invis range to become visible.
Retributive Invisibility currently doesn't seem to work properly.
When the character attacks or uses @dispel invis, the 50% concealment is also gone. This seems like a bug.
No shockwave seems to result from the @dispel, @dispel invis or @dispel concealment commands, though I don't know if that should result in a shockwave.
Mist Horrors seem to be somehow immune to Wall of Perilous Flame. When they float over it, they take only the fire damage (to which they are immune) and no magic damage. Is that a property of their ability to fly?
(https://i.imgur.com/Z3CdbCW.png)
Eldritch Chain still doesn't seem to be jumping as many times as it should. It'll always jump to one nearby target, but I've had it jump to more than one additional target only once or twice in my testing on a level 20 character.
I tried going to areas that would have fewer non-creature targets around, such as outside the wolf den and various parts of the sullen woods, but no luck. Usually just one.
Eldritch Chain still doesn't seem to be jumping as many times as it should. It'll always jump to one nearby target, but I've had it jump to more than one additional target only once or twice in my testing on a level 20 character.
I tried going to areas that would have fewer non-creature targets around, such as outside the wolf den and various parts of the sullen woods, but no luck. Usually just one.
Can you screenshot the combat log next time?
1. Enervating shadow doesn't break when attacking or doing damage, and can be refreshed before the previous instance ends: Therefore the warlock can be immune to all melee attacks by doing this. Maybe there should be a cooldown of 1 or more rounds between uses.
1. Enervating shadow doesn't break when attacking or doing damage, and can be refreshed before the previous instance ends: Therefore the warlock can be immune to all melee attacks by doing this. Maybe there should be a cooldown of 1 or more rounds between uses.
Not a bug, but a feature, I believe. It is easily countered by using light spells on a warlock or having something that ignores concealment, such as spells. If anything, they need this as the one defensive option they have. It's fine as is.
1. Enervating shadow doesn't break when attacking or doing damage, and can be refreshed before the previous instance ends: Therefore the warlock can be immune to all melee attacks by doing this. Maybe there should be a cooldown of 1 or more rounds between uses.
Not a bug, but a feature, I believe. It is easily countered by using light spells on a warlock or having something that ignores concealment, such as spells. If anything, they need this as the one defensive option they have. It's fine as is.
I disagree that this is fine as is. You are talking about countering this spell in a pvp situation. However what is to stop a player from using this to be invincible in a variety of pve situations? For example a warlock could tank any mostly melee/archer enemy at night/indoors, starting at the point that the ability is unlocked; desert trolls, ebon harbingers, salt shadows, or really any enemy that uses mainly weapon attacks.
That's fine too. Let them have immunity to attacks in PvE situations. We allowed Warmages, let's open up the door for more unorthodox strategies. They have to constantly keep casting it.
Remember, they aren't immune to spells. Even trolls cast spells. Mummies cast spells. Warlocks aren't immune to spells and only have a d6 hit die. Not to mention with how they aren't doing big bursts of damage like Warmage that often one-shots things, they'll need something to keep them safe in places where they can cast, as spells often draw melee aggro and warlocks are constantly casting spells.
1. Enervating shadow doesn't break when attacking or doing damage, and can be refreshed before the previous instance ends: Therefore the warlock can be immune to all melee attacks by doing this. Maybe there should be a cooldown of 1 or more rounds between uses.
2. Eldritch chain never hits more than 2 targets. The description of this ability leads me to believe that it should be able to hit more than 2 targets when they are tightly grouped.
3. Call of the Beast grants animal empathy. However this version of animal empathy does not work on any animals. I tried using it on a deer, and got the error message that the target was invalid.
4. Retributive Invisibility doesn't retain the concealment bonus when invisibility is broken.
Invocation: Spider-Shape - does not appear to polymorph into correct size or creature. Indication was when using Improved Knockdown on various creatures. Attack bonus at lvl 15 Warlock (Spider-Shape should transform into Huge Size, with Imp knockdown adding another +4 to size category) is only showing as +12 against the deer around Vallaki. Test characters highest attack bonus is +18. I'm uncertain what size deer are, but even if they are large then it should still show as having 2 size categories higher with Huge size creature & imp knockdown, with the attack perhaps then being at +22.
Also attempted in the crypts against skeletons. AB was at +7 (with expertise on) so would be capping still at the +12. Visual for Spider-Shape also didn't change when reaching lvl 15 either.Spoiler: combat log vs deer • showSpoiler: combat log vs zombies • show
There is still an issue with the AB that the Imp Knockdown attack is being made at, I think. With an AB of +18, it should be made at +14 then with the -4 from the attack, not +12. Am I missing something else here?
Enervating Shadows: Triggers the Fort save against friendly some friendly NPC when cast in their proximity.
Tested this in the temple in the outskirts next to the priestess. Only Horatio was forced to make the saving throw, making them all hostile. Returned to test it again with same result.
Scalding Blast appears to cause doors to close if they are within it's blast area. Could be part of the knockdown script. Tested this in the ML crypts. Triggered on every cast.
Invocation: Spider-Shape - does not appear to polymorph into correct size or creature. Indication was when using Improved Knockdown on various creatures. Attack bonus at lvl 15 Warlock (Spider-Shape should transform into Huge Size, with Imp knockdown adding another +4 to size category) is only showing as +12 against the deer around Vallaki. Test characters highest attack bonus is +18. I'm uncertain what size deer are, but even if they are large then it should still show as having 2 size categories higher with Huge size creature & imp knockdown, with the attack perhaps then being at +22.
Aura of Flame does not last for 24 hours like the tooltip suggests. I'm not sure what its actual time is, but it seems to go away shortly after leaving combat.
(https://i.gyazo.com/0b98d990d8d5a4ca4222a007802e3144.png)
In addition, the only VFX that Aura of Flame gets is a orange glow similar to a ring of resistance.
For some reason, Word of Changing does not seem to be correctly turning enemies into the the shape. I tested this againsts rats in the Vallaki Sewers using Word of Changing (Tortoise).
Additionally, Ennervating shadows is still having an incorrect tooltip for subsequent checks. I'm not sure if the drain effect is correctly working or not for that DC, however.
Thieves' Bane has a 0 DC for the reflex save when dispelling a door/object locked by it. Additionally, there is no DC for when I get hit by my own Thieves' Bane AoE.
Also, empowered Thieves' Bane does not seem to work on the damage or at all.
Not sure if it's because of my test pak being the second to last, but the late game form of Spider Form does not come with a sprite, detaches your POV and causes a loading crash upon transition
I need some advice regarding how the public perception and acceptance of warlocks is.
I see people publicly spamming eldritch blast in barovia in front of people that really dont care much. Anyone with enough spellcraft will recognise the spell for what it is and then correctly frame the warkock for what they are: people that have received their powers from fiends and alike.
... or is it even publicly known? What is the consensus about this? despite barovia being superstitious about arcane magic, this is power from fiend patrons we talk about...
I was wondering about those that pass a spellcraft or Lore check...
Also i wonder how it works, lorewise... a pg born in ravenloft could have knowledge of what a celestial or fey is? there is nothing of the such within the mists. they would equal warlock = fiend patron, because they are around
I was wondering about those that pass a spellcraft or Lore check...
Also i wonder how it works, lorewise... a pg born in ravenloft could have knowledge of what a celestial or fey is? there is nothing of the such within the mists. they would equal warlock = fiend patron, because they are around
Outside of DM events, lore and spellcraft checks are unenforcable. What's the DC for a Lore check to know about the Dark Powers? What's the DC for a Lore check to know that Paladins should not lie? What's the DC to know that alignment is an objective property of the universe? What's the DC for a Lore check to know what a Pale Master is, and that at Level 10 they become immune to critical hits? What's the DC for a Lore check to know that Clerics have two clerical domains each? What's the DC for a Lore check to know that Hallowed Witches have the Weave Protection class feature that confers spell resistance?
You get to decide how you react, but consider: most Ravenloft natives would know what a fey is (and fear them) because they're plentiful across numerous domains. They'd probably be more familiar with fey than fiends, who are more of a bogeyman than something anyone knows anything about. But to most Ravenloft natives, all spellcasters are fiendish, because magic is wicked in nature. If you see someone casting magic, it's because they're evil.
In a more educated domain, like Dementlieu, they already make the distinction between learned arcane scientists (good) and unnatural sorcerers (bad).
You can absolutely have a grudge against warlocks. You can believe what you like about any class. But consider reacting the way you'd react to a warlock to all spellcasters - hexblades and sorcerers especially - because that's what Ravenloft natives typically believe. Or instead, consider learning about them IC. "That's an interesting spell. How did you do that?" Your character hasn't read the sourcebooks, and so probably doesn't know the precise ins and outs of how each and every class works. And if they do, they're a cutting edge scholar, and might want to consider submitting a thesis on the topic to the Society of the Erudite.
The damage reduction doesn't seem to be working at all, from what I have observed (at least not the first level of damage reduction Warlocks get).
A warlock can apply an eldritch essence invocation and a blast shape invocation (see below) to the same blast. When a warlock uses both kinds of invocations to alter an eldritch blast, the spell level equivalent is equal to the spell level of the eldritch blast, the level of the eldritch essence invocation, or the level of the blast shape invocation, whichever is higher.
Then I'll leave my feedback that given the few invocations you can acquire, the majority of essences are too costly to keep once you can cast shapes.
You might also be able to invalidate the use of maximize by moving eldritch blast up to circle 1.
Is this due to lack of Spell Focus? Do warlocks get Ability Focus - Invocation or something similar to source to boost their DCs instead?
https://dnd.arkalseif.info/feats/monster-manual-v--78/ability-focus--14/index.html
Is this due to lack of Spell Focus? Do warlocks get Ability Focus - Invocation or something similar to source to boost their DCs instead?
https://dnd.arkalseif.info/feats/monster-manual-v--78/ability-focus--14/index.html
Warlocks get 2 feats that increase invocation DCs, it's just that the base DC value is sort of low so it often doesn't matter.
I also think the shapeshifts are a complete trap that exist primarily for RP purposes, but that's just me. You might get some use out of hellcat if you want to be a pack mule.
Is this due to lack of Spell Focus? Do warlocks get Ability Focus - Invocation or something similar to source to boost their DCs instead?
https://dnd.arkalseif.info/feats/monster-manual-v--78/ability-focus--14/index.html
Warlocks get 2 feats that increase invocation DCs, it's just that the base DC value is sort of low so it often doesn't matter.
I also think the shapeshifts are a complete trap that exist primarily for RP purposes, but that's just me. You might get some use out of hellcat if you want to be a pack mule.
But they aren't useful for RP. They don't do anything except get you killed by everyone who hates evil things or magic in general. It serves no use. There is no situation where spiderform or cat form would do anything for anyone without serious contrivances.
Is this due to lack of Spell Focus? Should warlocks get Ability Focus - Invocation or something similar to source to boost their DCs instead?
https://dnd.arkalseif.info/feats/monster-manual-v--78/ability-focus--14/index.html
Referenced here;
https://dnd.arkalseif.info/classes/warlock/index.html
"Since spell-like abilities are not actually spells, a warlock cannot benefit from the Spell Focus feat. He can, however, benefit from the Ability Focus feat (see page 303 of the Monster Manual)"
Is this due to lack of Spell Focus? Should warlocks get Ability Focus - Invocation or something similar to source to boost their DCs instead?
https://dnd.arkalseif.info/feats/monster-manual-v--78/ability-focus--14/index.html
Referenced here;
https://dnd.arkalseif.info/classes/warlock/index.html
"Since spell-like abilities are not actually spells, a warlock cannot benefit from the Spell Focus feat. He can, however, benefit from the Ability Focus feat (see page 303 of the Monster Manual)"
Without anyway to buff ourselves, the inherent low level of warlock DCs, and the abundance of really good save gear and monsters with high saves, most are useless after low levels.
Everything has really high SR too. Unlimited eldritch chains don't matter if you can't break the SR. (and that's with regular and greater spell penetration)
Magic insight is bugged.This seems like it’s still bugged. I had taken it and couldn’t get the spell to work at all.
(https://i.gyazo.com/a79959d6e8e576dd4d45b07c6d4dba8a.png)
I can't confirm but it doesn't seem like the warlock invocations or eldritch blast raise OCR, even when cast in plain sight of NPCs.