Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

Much as I like my Wizard based Spellblade, the constant need to rest gets old over time, especially if I happen to need to change my spells around and/or am in an event with a lot of talking between fights.

Thus, I've started looking at Warlock. I don't know a whole lot about the class mechanically - even less so about how they work out in this server.

I'm keeping my options open at least for starters, but I would rather play a blaster and/or spellblade than a DC based controller type.

Daggerspell Mage (possibly with Shadowdancer) looks like a fun class to mix in. However, with whatever class I use to qualify for that (Rogue?), Daggerspell Mage losing a CL and Shadowdancer, even with Practiced Invoker I would be down 3 levels of blast progression. Is that a huge deal or not a concern at all?

Hellfire Warlock looks decent too...

tl;dr I'm a bit at a loss of what exactly a Warlock can (and perhaps should) do mechanically speaking, and at what cost(s) to the rest of the build.

I'll play around jegs later today, see if I can find anything that stands out.

Hello Hopea, an welcome to the funny world of warlocks. You can of course go ful or semi-full warlock buil, there are some nice tips on the builder, would be better to make some I+D+i there to see what feats you prefer to take as it's a quite "simple" build to make.

You have also a melee warlock, and here the posibilities are huge. There are some builds around, although I think the more populars are Blackguard levels and going for EDM and/or the HiPSers warlocks. The first limits the options to an evil char and I can't tell you much about it because I haven't tried it. But about the HiPSers warlock yes. IMO it more fun and versatile than the blast-blast-blast one. What you lose balances what you gain. It's a different playstyle and RP, up to the player.

You can also only dip into warlock some lvls for Hideows blow (a must for a melee warlock and his/her best invocation, due to the change in this server) and some other invocations and make a more "pure" melee build.

About what class take to qualify for DsM... This PrC is more popular with a Wizard, but works also perfectly with Warlock (I have one and I assure you it does). People generally take Rogue to qualify for DsM, but one option is taking 3lvl of Bodyguard IF you dip into SD, because you already gain Evasion with this class. This means some less skill points, +1BAB, no posibility of xp penalty and trading some class skills Rogue opens for some extra goodies from Bodyguard. But this depends also on your playstyle and RP. If you prefer the assassin/hiding more than the lockpicker I'd recommend the Bodyguard way.

To finalize, just a warning. Warlocks can be a bit tricky to RP if you are new with them. Have in mind that their powers come from a pact made with a superior entity, being abyssal, demonic, fey. You must think very well the char background and I'd recommend searching for some lore if this an unknown class for you.

I am not entirely unfamiliar with the Warlock in lore, though I don't quite know ALL the ins and outs of it. Still, I am far more unfamiliar with them mechanically than I am lore wise.

Blackguard, well... I'm probably not aiming for a high cha, am not huge fan of playing straight and up evil characters and having a deity patron on top of whatever source I go for my Warlock powers for is not exactly ideal to me.

I shall do some research. I do like having various kinds of skills, but I also am likely to take the Able Learner Feat so having Rogue levels or not is a question of okay or excellent lock picker.

I shall do some R&D.

Don't forget the beautiful stormsinger! Stormsinger with a 3 bard dip adds a lot of flavor to warlock, and it progresses blastdice/invocations, if you pick warlock progression on stormsinger. Though, that is a bit of a CHA-based choice too.

Warlock 27/Shadowdancer 3 is a nice choice too. Dexlock.

I'll dig a little, but I remember having a sneak attack gish style warlock, that did solid damage.

Stormsinger abilities look fun, but DCs... I'm not 100% absolutely against focusing on DCs, but it's not something I'd rush at on the first chance either.

Playing around with jegs and, gishing it out is really cool. Sure, a lot of the blasts are fun and all, but I'm liking a mix of buffing (those are some amazing long term buffs they can get!), meleeing and blasting most of all - just the simple base blast is really handy.

Played with some Shadowdancer levels. Effective? Yes. Fun? At times. Worth taking for me/this build? Not so sure. Evasion'd be nice tho, so probably Rogue into DsM for example.

You can't ever go wrong with HiPS, but as you have WtU it seems a bit of a waste; well at least unless you want lots of PvP.

Although something like this: http://nwn2db.com/build/?180120 might work

Well, I'm of the opinion that PvP happens if it happens, I have no desire to seek it out. Might not work out that well with a Warlock that but still.

Still, I can live without HiPS I do think.

http://nwn2db.com/build/?235680

I'm not 100% set on the build, probably going human rather than thiefling too.
I've never actually tried RPing a halfling... That could go weird but could be fun too. Will consider.

5d6 SA dice with no reliable way to land them... I would either get shadow dancer or take combat expertise/feint...unless you have a belt with feint feat in which case you should be just fine unless you don't max bluff. :p. Just remember hips is also great defense when you're playing a class without the best ac...

Well, I have Walk Unseen, likely'll have decent regular stealthyness to initiate combat and/or may have people with me. Point though. Then again, I do have Hideous Blow... Decisions decisions.

Point on the AC too. And I guess HiPS would be more fun to use in a "real" environment instead of jegs.

I was thinking about such a build and wondering whether adding Dread Pirate might not work.

Well, that doesn't progress casting/invocation, so might for a melee heavy one.

Took and edited the halfling build a bit, I am starting to like the idea.
http://nwn2db.com/build/?235687

For Invocations
1st: Hideous Blow, Leaps and Bounds. Not sure about the third, See the Unseen? Entropic Warding? Leaps and Bounds could be swapped later if I find a decent dex +4 item.

2nd: Eldritch Chain, Flee the Scene, Walk Unseen

3rd: Devour Magic, Vitriolic Blast. Chilling Tentacles?

4th: Dark Foresight. Dark Premonition? What else?

Don't count in getting a +4 stat bonus item. If you don't already have one you probably won't ever get one. If you do it will only be +4 DEX I would guess.

Hopea wrote:For Invocations
1st: Hideous Blow, Leaps and Bounds. Not sure about the third, See the Unseen? Entropic Warding? Leaps and Bounds could be swapped later if I find a decent dex +4 item.

2nd: Eldritch Chain, Flee the Scene, Walk Unseen

3rd: Devour Magic, Vitriolic Blast. Chilling Tentacles?

4th: Dark Foresight. Dark Premonition? What else?

Both See the Unseen and Entropic Warding are nice. I personally prefer the second, but the first is a good choice too.

In the 3rd lvl consider taking Wall of Perilous Flame to deal with undeads and for some fun RP situations. The choices here are more open, so think what would fit more your playstile.

For the 4th ones I'd choose Retribute Invisibility, so you can change Walk Unseen for Ignore the Pyre.