New Blasts and Hideous Blow

[ragnarok1983]

Do the new warlock blasts work with hideous blow?

Last time I tried was many months ago, and I recall Tempest Blast not actually being able to be used for Hideous Blow (unlike the rest of the blasts already available).

Is this still the case?

If so, is there any chance of that changing?

I got a lock that follows Hoar, and it'd be cool to get a little zappy every once in a while.

[Whispers of Winter]

Tempest Blast does not shape into a ray or Hideous blow, no. Unfortunately it is only an AoE, just like repelling blast. I've often wondered if maybe the feat from Complete Arcane: Energy Substitution could be added to the game and actually applying to Warlocks as well. It would certainly make for some awesome, allowing mages to actually focus in energy types. A completely fire based mage, or frost or even electricity. So on.

Would love to see some other energy type other than acid that is the exact same as Vitrolic as well. (Obviously negating sonic damage type for- Maybe magical instead?)

[WeWhoEat]

Blast Shapes and Essences are not really spells in the conventional sense, but are rather sort of squiffy meta-magic that apply only to the default spell blast. The new Blasts, on the other hand, are different for several reasons. For one, they are a combined Shape and Essence in theory, but are rather stand-alone Invocations in practice. You can no more apply metamagic such as Shapes to them than you could apply a Shape to your Wall of Perilous Flame, or Flee the Scene.

[whatsittoya]

Why is this still this way? It would have been so awesome to use eldritch chain to make a facsimile of chain lightning with Tempest Blast, or an awesome sniper lightning bolt with eldritch spear. Why inhibit its viability and usefulness by making it a combined essence and blast shape?