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

Before anyone says it, I did search on this before posting. Got the idea of making a Druid/Warlock and used another character for RCR fodder since they were under ten. Used the XP to start them off with 1 level of Warlock with Hideous Blow and the next Five levels as a Druid. I took Practiced Invoker to get back most of the blast progression and Natural Spell just as I hit Druid 5.

So after setting up my character, I head into the game and go to kill some bandits for the quest. I polymorph into a bear, cast hideous blow, and see this message just as I hit the bandit. "You can not use blast while polymorph."

As this caught me by surprise, I logged and started searching on the forums. I discovered there apparently was a DM ruling and Blasts and Invocations can only be used by a Polymorphed Warlock that has Natural Spell and uses one of the Wild Shape forms, but not any other polymorph.

So what's going on? I have Wilde Shape and Natural Spell, yet my hideous blow keeps deactivating. On a side note, where is this DM ruling? I checked the ruling thread and the only thing I could find was the rule on talking while polymorphed.

You cannot even cast invocations whilst shape changed with word of changing, makes perfect sense that you cannot also cast warlock invocations whilst polymorphed or shape changed as a wizard / cleric / druid.

Kaerdrin did have a feat in his pack that let warlocks use invocations whilst shape changed with word of calling (guttural invocation), but that was never introduced on bgtscc.

Just as well really, if I could cast invocations with my melee-lock whilst shape changed I would destroy the PvE content without breaking a sweat.

BigJ

You did read my post, right? I said a ruling had apparently already been made and using blasts and invocations while using Wild Shape is allowed if you have the Natural Spell feat. Although I am having trouble finding this ruling myself. The only thing I can find is this topic that mentions it.

NegInfinity wrote:It is a devil form not "demon" form.

As per DM ruling, warlock can only cast while polymorphed when they're using wildshape ability while having natural spell feat, and are not allowed to cast in warlock polymorph forms, or in shapechange forms.

Hence, no hideous blow.

Also, in PnP warlocks do not polymorph into cornugons. You get hellcat and swarm of bats and that's it. Word of Changing transforms your opponents into frogs and squirrels. Permanently, if they fail a save.
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The only ones that can cast while polymorphed are druids, only when they have natural spell and when they're using wildshape. Anyone else is not allowed to do that.

Ooops, I'm old, I sometimes miss things

Felt obliqued to do some searching, fount this.

From Ask the DM's 2011

Given the ruling may have been a subsequent discussion rather than a post in DM Rulings it might have been lost / archived in the forum changeover. Probably best PM Negfinity to prompt him this way and see if he remembers it.

On a technical note I also fount this on the NWN2 wiki re Natural Spell -

"The feat does not allow a Druid to cast Epic spells in wild shape, since these function as feats and are thus blocked from access while polymorphed. In analog, it does not allow a Warlock to use her Eldritch blast ability directly. However, as with spells from any other classes, all Invocations are available (Eldritch blast shapes and/or essences can thus be used)."

It could be Hideous Blow is a scripted ability that appears as a feat or blast to the engine, hence the message. Do you have long to go before your next level up? Might be worth swapping the invocation for a spell (Ie Darkness or something), to see if it works. Or Rcr, as its 100% under 10.

BigJ.

Oh yeah, RCR is no issue. I was just planning to use the bear form from Wild Shape which has higher STR than DEX. I can easily rebuild and choose Eldritch Spear instead if that's the case. But it's a lot of fun running around as a bear with violet glowing bear claws.