So my previous thread on patron issues has been resolved thanks to you all as I talked to my GM and ended up with a wonderfully new pact with the Demon Queen of Spiders herself. Now I’m current question is this. How do I optimize my character? I’ve played 1-4 editions and am curious as to how I should proceed. I am not looking for crazy cheese per say but I do want to optimize my character so I’ll be contributing to the party. You are working with:
Lv 2 Warlock (Fiend pact)
15Hp
Entertainer Background (Grew up playing the Lyre at adopted parent’s tavern)
Skills if I can remember them are: Persuasion, Insight, performance (Lyre and Storytelling) deception.
Ability Scores
Str 8
Dex 15
Con 13
Int 10
Wis 12
Cha 17
I have Eldritch Blast, friend, Armour of Agathys, Hex
I have taken the Eldritch Invocations: Mask of Many Faces and Agonizing blast.
For combat i usually stay back and EB but I also have a Rapier, A staff (maybe later for shillelagh?) and a light crossbow, and some light armor (studded leather)
I really just don't know what direction i want to take him. I think ill go tomelock but i want some feedback and ideas first. If you need any more information ill provide it. Thank you for your help :D
i am not an expert but what race are you using? Also what sort of gameplay do you want to play? Eldritch Canon? some utility warlock? maybe pure RP? Each plays rather differently so you should make up your mind before going any further.
Eldritch Canon mainly focuses on ... you guessed it Eldritch blast making sure to buff it to max thus taking agonizing blast and anything that can buff it.
Utility warlock is kinda a fun one, you pick up a well rounded spells that'll help you in every situation. Think of your party and what are they missing then take rituals that fix their flaws. So spells like identify, detect magic, shillelagh or maybe some good cantrips for more types of damage such as fire bolt (with flames of phalegethos if you picked a tiefling can spice it up), chill touch etc.
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Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
I find the Fiend and Demon Queen an odd combination, but if you have it worked out... awesome!
I like your ability choices. Charisma is highest, with Dexterity and Constitution for AC and Health. Tough choice on the rest, but Strength is your dump stat, and Wisdom is your saving throw, so I like how that went. The rapier will work well with your Dexterity. Being so focused on Hexblade in my latest Warlock, I nearly forgot that not every Warlock can use Charisma for their weapon ability, which is very very nice! If you are playing a Tomelock, it won't matter, because hopefully you will never ever use the rapier.
As you know who your patron is, I would start developing backstory and theme and see if the history of the character can provide the information you need to pick the directions you want to go...
Alternatively, you can look at the group and see what is missing before deciding which direction you are taking. Do you need utility spells? Are you a blaster? Do you need to be able to fight in melee? This can provide as much direction as your patron can...
You gain access to a 'book of shadows; holding 3 cantrips from any class's spell list. The wording is not 100% clear as to whether you have to choose one class, and take all your cantrips from their spell list (class's implies singular) or whether you can pick and choose from a number of different lists. I tend to think the latter is what was intended, but by a very strict reading of RAW, it's actually the first. You gain access to the Book of Ancient Secrets invocation. If you have pact of the tome, you should definitely consider taking this, though the necessity decreases substantially if you have another ritual caster in your party.
You get three cantrips from any list. That means some of the most powerful at wills in the game are yours - Vicious Mockery and Guidance, to name two. Later, you can take an Invocation that lets you learn any ritual spell in the game. Lots of magic, though the vast majority of it will be utility spells and divinations. The sheer amount of versatility make this path the strongest of the three Pact Forms.
While Tome Pact is very powerful, getting an Imp familiar through Pact of the Chain is great for both utility and role-playing. It's a perfect spy with at will invisibility and an invocation that let's you see through it's eyes.
I apologize for the late responses. I am playing a Half Elf, Drow Varient. I do use Eldritch blast as my main form of attack but do fairly well in melee as a secondary fighter. As i have the highest Cha, i am the face , and as the only spellcaster i also need some utilty lol. In addition i have the feature that allows me to use Drow magic at 1st,3rd,5th lv.
My party consists of
fighter (Battlemaster?) with a tribal background.
A barbarian (Totem Bear) with (customized) Folk Hero background.
Rogue (Scout) with (honestly no idea what his background is)
We also have an npcgoblin follower who is not combat involved but adorable.
Imthinking of going more utility as i wanted originally to be either a wizard or sorceror. Most likely will go path of Tome but i wanted a wide variety of different thoughts and opinions.
Also- on the off chance i have a bout ingamewith the battlemaster, any suggestions how to not die? preferably win or at least Draw?
Invisible, move 120 ft, away and then start slinging eldritch blasts. Or you can fly up in the air away from his reach and do the same thing (I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure eldritch blast vs fighter health ends a battle faster than a crossbow vs a Warlock, just make sure you have agonizing blast).
Depends on what you fight of course. A lot of heavily armored soldiers or really dexterous rogues sometimes need other options like Toll the Dead because of their soft minds :). It also can be cast if they are in your face, and you can't move away, since you don't cast with disadvantage. This is also, like others have mentioned, why I like the Tome Lock style; it increases a lot of low level spell options.
On the specifics of dealing with that Battlemaster with your current build right now. Don't. I wouldn't try without at least Misty Step or Expeditious Retreat
If you have to...
Win the opening roll of initiative and get first mover advantage. (or at least hope). Or at least don't start combat right next to him and maybe try to get at least 35 feet separation. The more the better.
If you win initiative; max your distance first and try to keep it there. His best response might be to Action Surge and Dash, to move to you AND attack once, and then stay on you. But then he's used it.
If he wins initative, and he can close and attack; pray for bad dice rolls.
Use Eldritch Blast often. Even at disadvantage if need be at maximum range.
Do NOT melee; because if he has Riposte, you are just feeding him your tears at that point. Menacing Attack is worse. Trip is also bad. Bottom line, don't melee.
Also for Tyrannosary : per Pact Boon it does specifically say "the three needn’t be from the same list" For the cantrips and for the rituals (if you take the Book of Shadows)
So my previous thread on patron issues has been resolved thanks to you all as I talked to my GM and ended up with a wonderfully new pact with the Demon Queen of Spiders herself. Now I’m current question is this. How do I optimize my character? I’ve played 1-4 editions and am curious as to how I should proceed. I am not looking for crazy cheese per say but I do want to optimize my character so I’ll be contributing to the party. You are working with:
Lv 2 Warlock (Fiend pact)
15Hp
Entertainer Background (Grew up playing the Lyre at adopted parent’s tavern)
Skills if I can remember them are: Persuasion, Insight, performance (Lyre and Storytelling) deception.
Ability Scores
I have Eldritch Blast, friend, Armour of Agathys, Hex
I have taken the Eldritch Invocations: Mask of Many Faces and Agonizing blast.
For combat i usually stay back and EB but I also have a Rapier, A staff (maybe later for shillelagh?) and a light crossbow, and some light armor (studded leather)
I really just don't know what direction i want to take him. I think ill go tomelock but i want some feedback and ideas first. If you need any more information ill provide it. Thank you for your help :D
i am not an expert but what race are you using? Also what sort of gameplay do you want to play? Eldritch Canon? some utility warlock? maybe pure RP? Each plays rather differently so you should make up your mind before going any further.
Eldritch Canon mainly focuses on ... you guessed it Eldritch blast making sure to buff it to max thus taking agonizing blast and anything that can buff it.
Utility warlock is kinda a fun one, you pick up a well rounded spells that'll help you in every situation. Think of your party and what are they missing then take rituals that fix their flaws. So spells like identify, detect magic, shillelagh or maybe some good cantrips for more types of damage such as fire bolt (with flames of phalegethos if you picked a tiefling can spice it up), chill touch etc.
Born under the watch of something from the furthest corners of the far realms.... It knows all.... it sees all... and it asks: "What is it that you want to see?"... and my answer is... ALL"
I find the Fiend and Demon Queen an odd combination, but if you have it worked out... awesome!
I like your ability choices. Charisma is highest, with Dexterity and Constitution for AC and Health. Tough choice on the rest, but Strength is your dump stat, and Wisdom is your saving throw, so I like how that went. The rapier will work well with your Dexterity. Being so focused on Hexblade in my latest Warlock, I nearly forgot that not every Warlock can use Charisma for their weapon ability, which is very very nice! If you are playing a Tomelock, it won't matter, because hopefully you will never ever use the rapier.
As you know who your patron is, I would start developing backstory and theme and see if the history of the character can provide the information you need to pick the directions you want to go...
Alternatively, you can look at the group and see what is missing before deciding which direction you are taking. Do you need utility spells? Are you a blaster? Do you need to be able to fight in melee? This can provide as much direction as your patron can...
You definitely have your character built well. I'd suggest going down the path of the Tome, it's most powerful IMO.
You gain access to a 'book of shadows; holding 3 cantrips from any class's spell list. The wording is not 100% clear as to whether you have to choose one class, and take all your cantrips from their spell list (class's implies singular) or whether you can pick and choose from a number of different lists. I tend to think the latter is what was intended, but by a very strict reading of RAW, it's actually the first. You gain access to the Book of Ancient Secrets invocation. If you have pact of the tome, you should definitely consider taking this, though the necessity decreases substantially if you have another ritual caster in your party.
You get three cantrips from any list. That means some of the most powerful at wills in the game are yours - Vicious Mockery and Guidance, to name two. Later, you can take an Invocation that lets you learn any ritual spell in the game. Lots of magic, though the vast majority of it will be utility spells and divinations. The sheer amount of versatility make this path the strongest of the three Pact Forms.
While Tome Pact is very powerful, getting an Imp familiar through Pact of the Chain is great for both utility and role-playing. It's a perfect spy with at will invisibility and an invocation that let's you see through it's eyes.
^ you can have a familiar with Pact of the tome too
I apologize for the late responses. I am playing a Half Elf, Drow Varient. I do use Eldritch blast as my main form of attack but do fairly well in melee as a secondary fighter. As i have the highest Cha, i am the face , and as the only spellcaster i also need some utilty lol. In addition i have the feature that allows me to use Drow magic at 1st,3rd,5th lv.
My party consists of
fighter (Battlemaster?) with a tribal background.
A barbarian (Totem Bear) with (customized) Folk Hero background.
Rogue (Scout) with (honestly no idea what his background is)
We also have an npcgoblin follower who is not combat involved but adorable.
Imthinking of going more utility as i wanted originally to be either a wizard or sorceror. Most likely will go path of Tome but i wanted a wide variety of different thoughts and opinions.
Also- on the off chance i have a bout ingamewith the battlemaster, any suggestions how to not die? preferably win or at least Draw?
Invisible, move 120 ft, away and then start slinging eldritch blasts. Or you can fly up in the air away from his reach and do the same thing (I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure eldritch blast vs fighter health ends a battle faster than a crossbow vs a Warlock, just make sure you have agonizing blast).
Depends on what you fight of course. A lot of heavily armored soldiers or really dexterous rogues sometimes need other options like Toll the Dead because of their soft minds :). It also can be cast if they are in your face, and you can't move away, since you don't cast with disadvantage. This is also, like others have mentioned, why I like the Tome Lock style; it increases a lot of low level spell options.
On the specifics of dealing with that Battlemaster with your current build right now. Don't. I wouldn't try without at least Misty Step or Expeditious Retreat
If you have to...
Also for Tyrannosary : per Pact Boon it does specifically say "the three needn’t be from the same list" For the cantrips and for the rituals (if you take the Book of Shadows)
Yeah I know, that's why I said that XD