When I picture a wand or stave, I picture spells being channeled through them, and I imagine the Improved Pact Weapon being similar. So, if you are technically using a ranged weapon to to cast your spells, and it requires an attack, so you could interpret this as qualifying for Sneak Attack, assuming you meet the other prerequisites.
No. Using a focus to cast a spell is not using a focus to make an attack, even if the spell involves an attack. That's a leap that would require textual support, for which I don't think there is any.
I want to resurrect one part of this, and I understand it almost certainly isn't rules as intended, but I think there is a possibility of sneak attacking with Eldritch Blast if you've taken the Pact of the Blade Boon and the Improved Pact Weapon Invocation. Your weapon becomes your arcane focus, and so you are theoretically using it to cast your spells, meeting the requirement of "The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon."
Now, there are plenty of reasons this probably doesn't work, one of which is whether or not you actually use an Arcane Focus to cast a spell: Arcane Focus only replaces the material components of non-costly spells. You don't necessarily cast spells using the focus. Eldritch Blast does not require material components. This is supported by the wording of magic items that give bonuses to spell attacks, damage, DCs etc. The say things like "when holding this item, spells you cast...".
The one place I see precedence suggesting an Arcane Focus might qualify is in the Artillerist Artificers Arcane Firearm feature: "When you cast an artificer spell through the firearm..." This damage bonus applies to a cantrip like Firebolt, which also doesn't require a material component, so in theory, you can cast all your spells, (including cantrips without material components) through your Arcane Focus, thus you are using it to cast your spells.
When I picture a wand or stave, I picture spells being channeled through them, and I imagine the Improved Pact Weapon being similar. So, if you are technically using a ranged weapon to to cast your spells, and it requires an attack, so you could interpret this as qualifying for Sneak Attack, assuming you meet the other prerequisites.
Again, I know this is a stretch, and I am sure many people are going to interpret this as not applying. I just want to state that there is a small bit of room for interpretation while keeping in RAW. I would prefer official errata to determine it definitely. All they would have to do is change the wording of Sneak Attack to say: Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with a weapon attack if you have advantage on the attack roll.
I don't see any ambiguity in the current sneak attack rules.
"Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon."
The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon. Finesse and ranged are both properties of weapons which are listed in the PHB. Any type of arcane focus is not listed in the weapon table except a staff and a staff is not a finesse or ranged weapon.
"The Weapons table shows the most common weapons used in the worlds of D&D, their price and weight, the damage they deal when they hit, and any special properties they possess. Every weapon is classified as either melee or ranged. A melee weapon is used to attack a target within 5 feet of you, whereas a ranged weapon is used to attack a target at a distance."
Specific rules that apply to the Artificer use of an arcane focus do not apply to any other case since it is an example of a specific rule taking precedence over a general rule.
In addition, EVERY spell that an artificer casts requires a material component (another example of specific taking precedence over general).
"Tools Required
You produce your artificer spell effects through your tools. You must have a spellcasting focus—specifically thieves’ tools or some kind of artisan’s tool—in hand when you cast any spell with this Spellcasting feature (meaning the spell has an ‘M’ component when you cast it). You must be proficient with the tool to use it in this way. See chapter 5, “Equipment,” in the Player’s Handbook for descriptions of these tools."
So, for artificers, every artificer spell they cast requires tools to be used as a material component so your analogy doesn't work anyway.
you can cast eldritch blast and hex on the same turn hex is a bonus action and the rules say you can cast a cantrip of one action on the same turn so you are wrong about saying you can't
What's the highest Attack modifier anyone can get for Eldritch Blast? So far I've got a +13 to hit. A Warlock with 10 levels in Artificer to max out the Enhanced Arcane Focus. How can I make it higher?
What's the highest Attack modifier anyone can get for Eldritch Blast? So far I've got a +13 to hit. A Warlock with 10 levels in Artificer to max out the Enhanced Arcane Focus. How can I make it higher?
Wand of the War Mage, +3 and with that you do not need to be an Artificer. I do think, for spells, +14 is the highest (assuming 20 spell casting stat as maximum).
You could try and get Blessed before, adding another +1d4 to hit.
What's the highest Attack modifier anyone can get for Eldritch Blast? So far I've got a +13 to hit. A Warlock with 10 levels in Artificer to max out the Enhanced Arcane Focus. How can I make it higher?
Consistent EB bonus requiring no resources would be +20. But you can achieve higher, for one beam, anyway.
Either: 2 Cleric (War Domain) or 3 Paladin (Oath of Conquest), Rest in Warlock (Any)
+5 from Cha Mod +6 from Proficiency Bonus +3 from wearing a Jester's Mask Warcaster Feat to hold both of these when casting EB: +3 from Rod of the Pact Keeper +3 from Wand of the War Mage +1d4 from Bless [Spellcasting] +1d10 from Guiding Strike [Cleric / Paladin]
What's the highest Attack modifier anyone can get for Eldritch Blast? So far I've got a +13 to hit. A Warlock with 10 levels in Artificer to max out the Enhanced Arcane Focus. How can I make it higher?
Consistent EB bonus requiring no resources would be +20. But you can achieve higher, for one beam, anyway.
Either: 2 Cleric (War Domain) or 3 Paladin (Oath of Conquest), Rest in Warlock (Any)
+5 from Cha Mod +6 from Proficiency Bonus +3 from wearing a Jester's Mask Warcaster Feat to hold both of these when casting EB: +3 from Rod of the Pact Keeper +3 from Wand of the War Mage +1d4 from Bless [Spellcasting] +1d10 from Guiding Strike [Cleric / Paladin]
Add in a Tome of Leadership and Influence for an extra +1 by boosting charisma to 22 (assuming the character doesn't have centuries for multiple uses even if the DM would allow it :) ).
What's the highest Attack modifier anyone can get for Eldritch Blast? So far I've got a +13 to hit. A Warlock with 10 levels in Artificer to max out the Enhanced Arcane Focus. How can I make it higher?
Consistent EB bonus requiring no resources would be +20. But you can achieve higher, for one beam, anyway.
Either: 2 Cleric (War Domain) or 3 Paladin (Oath of Conquest), Rest in Warlock (Any)
+5 from Cha Mod +6 from Proficiency Bonus +3 from wearing a Jester's Mask Warcaster Feat to hold both of these when casting EB: +3 from Rod of the Pact Keeper +3 from Wand of the War Mage +1d4 from Bless [Spellcasting] +1d10 from Guiding Strike [Cleric / Paladin]
War Caster wouldn't let you hold both the rod and the want while casting Eldritch Blast because neither is a weapon or shield.
What's the highest Attack modifier anyone can get for Eldritch Blast? So far I've got a +13 to hit. A Warlock with 10 levels in Artificer to max out the Enhanced Arcane Focus. How can I make it higher?
Consistent EB bonus requiring no resources would be +20. But you can achieve higher, for one beam, anyway.
Either: 2 Cleric (War Domain) or 3 Paladin (Oath of Conquest), Rest in Warlock (Any)
+5 from Cha Mod +6 from Proficiency Bonus +3 from wearing a Jester's Mask Warcaster Feat to hold both of these when casting EB: +3 from Rod of the Pact Keeper +3 from Wand of the War Mage +1d4 from Bless [Spellcasting] +1d10 from Guiding Strike [Cleric / Paladin]
War Caster wouldn't let you hold both the rod and the want while casting Eldritch Blast because neither is a weapon or shield.
But the general spellcasting focus rules would allow that:
"A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell’s material components — or to hold a spellcasting focus — but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components."
What's the highest Attack modifier anyone can get for Eldritch Blast? So far I've got a +13 to hit. A Warlock with 10 levels in Artificer to max out the Enhanced Arcane Focus. How can I make it higher?
Consistent EB bonus requiring no resources would be +20. But you can achieve higher, for one beam, anyway.
Either: 2 Cleric (War Domain) or 3 Paladin (Oath of Conquest), Rest in Warlock (Any)
+5 from Cha Mod +6 from Proficiency Bonus +3 from wearing a Jester's Mask Warcaster Feat to hold both of these when casting EB: +3 from Rod of the Pact Keeper +3 from Wand of the War Mage +1d4 from Bless [Spellcasting] +1d10 from Guiding Strike [Cleric / Paladin]
War Caster wouldn't let you hold both the rod and the want while casting Eldritch Blast because neither is a weapon or shield.
But the general spellcasting focus rules would allow that:
"A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell’s material components — or to hold a spellcasting focus — but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components."
I agree with you completely, but the more common line on these forums is that that only applies when the spell has a material component, which Eldritch Blast does not.
War Caster wouldn't let you hold both the rod and the want while casting Eldritch Blast because neither is a weapon or shield.
But the general spellcasting focus rules would allow that:
"A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell’s material components — or to hold a spellcasting focus — but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components."
Unfortunately that only applies if the spell has a material component (according to the SAC) which Eldritch Blast doesn't have. And Warcaster only applies "when you have weapons or a shield in one or both hands" which neither the rod or the wand is. So by RAW it won't work.
Personally I think that the SAC ruling is stupid and that it would be unnecessarily harsh to not have Warcaster apply so I'd allow it. But I recognise the fact that it would be a house-rule.
No. Using a focus to cast a spell is not using a focus to make an attack, even if the spell involves an attack. That's a leap that would require textual support, for which I don't think there is any.
I don't see any ambiguity in the current sneak attack rules.
"Once per turn, you can deal an extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon."
The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon. Finesse and ranged are both properties of weapons which are listed in the PHB. Any type of arcane focus is not listed in the weapon table except a staff and a staff is not a finesse or ranged weapon.
"The Weapons table shows the most common weapons used in the worlds of D&D, their price and weight, the damage they deal when they hit, and any special properties they possess. Every weapon is classified as either melee or ranged. A melee weapon is used to attack a target within 5 feet of you, whereas a ranged weapon is used to attack a target at a distance."
Specific rules that apply to the Artificer use of an arcane focus do not apply to any other case since it is an example of a specific rule taking precedence over a general rule.
In addition, EVERY spell that an artificer casts requires a material component (another example of specific taking precedence over general).
"Tools Required
You produce your artificer spell effects through your tools. You must have a spellcasting focus—specifically thieves’ tools or some kind of artisan’s tool—in hand when you cast any spell with this Spellcasting feature (meaning the spell has an ‘M’ component when you cast it). You must be proficient with the tool to use it in this way. See chapter 5, “Equipment,” in the Player’s Handbook for descriptions of these tools."
So, for artificers, every artificer spell they cast requires tools to be used as a material component so your analogy doesn't work anyway.
you can cast eldritch blast and hex on the same turn hex is a bonus action and the rules say you can cast a cantrip of one action on the same turn so you are wrong about saying you can't
What's the highest Attack modifier anyone can get for Eldritch Blast? So far I've got a +13 to hit. A Warlock with 10 levels in Artificer to max out the Enhanced Arcane Focus. How can I make it higher?
Wand of the War Mage, +3 and with that you do not need to be an Artificer. I do think, for spells, +14 is the highest (assuming 20 spell casting stat as maximum).
You could try and get Blessed before, adding another +1d4 to hit.
Consistent EB bonus requiring no resources would be +20. But you can achieve higher, for one beam, anyway.
Either: 2 Cleric (War Domain) or 3 Paladin (Oath of Conquest), Rest in Warlock (Any)
+5 from Cha Mod
+6 from Proficiency Bonus
+3 from wearing a Jester's Mask
Warcaster Feat to hold both of these when casting EB:
+3 from Rod of the Pact Keeper
+3 from Wand of the War Mage
+1d4 from Bless [Spellcasting]
+1d10 from Guiding Strike [Cleric / Paladin]
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Add in a Tome of Leadership and Influence for an extra +1 by boosting charisma to 22 (assuming the character doesn't have centuries for multiple uses even if the DM would allow it :) ).
War Caster wouldn't let you hold both the rod and the want while casting Eldritch Blast because neither is a weapon or shield.
But the general spellcasting focus rules would allow that:
"A spellcaster must have a hand free to access a spell’s material components — or to hold a spellcasting focus — but it can be the same hand that he or she uses to perform somatic components."
I agree with you completely, but the more common line on these forums is that that only applies when the spell has a material component, which Eldritch Blast does not.
Unfortunately that only applies if the spell has a material component (according to the SAC) which Eldritch Blast doesn't have. And Warcaster only applies "when you have weapons or a shield in one or both hands" which neither the rod or the wand is. So by RAW it won't work.
Personally I think that the SAC ruling is stupid and that it would be unnecessarily harsh to not have Warcaster apply so I'd allow it. But I recognise the fact that it would be a house-rule.