Warlock

Born of a supernatural bloodline, a Warlock seeks to master the perilous magic that suffuses his soul. Unlike Sorcerers and Wizards, who approach arcane magic through the medium of spells, a Warlock invokes powerful magic through nothing more than an effort of will. The font of dark magic burning in their souls makes them resistant to many forms of attack and arms them with dangerous power. Warlocks learn to harness their power to perform a small number of specific attacks and tricks called invocations. Warlocks make up for their lack of versatility by being tougher and more resilient than sorcerers or wizards. By harnessing his innate magical gift through fearsome determination and willpower, a Warlock can perform feats of supernatural stealth, beguile the weak-minded, or scour his foes with blasts of Eldritch power.

Requirements

Alignment restrictions: Any Evil or any Chaotic

Class Features

Hit die : d6
Base Attack Bonus progression :	Medium

Saving throws :
	High =	Will
	low =	Fortitude & Reflex

Proficiencies :
	Weapon:	Simple.
	Armor:	Light; A Warlock can use any of his invocations while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. A Warlock wearing Medium or Heavy Armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane Spell Failure.

Skill Points : ( 2 + Int modifier ) ×4 at 1st Character level.

Class Skills : Bluff, Concentration, Craft Alchemy, Craft Armor, Craft Weapon, Disguise, Heal, Intimidate, Lore: Arcana,Lore: Religion, Lore: Local, Lore: The Planes, Spellcraft, Taunt and Use Magic Device.

Additional progressions

		Invocations known
Level	Feats gained	Least	Lesser	Greater	Dark
1	Eldritch Blast 1d6	1	-	-	-
2	Eldritch Lore	2	-	-	-
3	Eldritch Blast 2d6, Damage reduction 1/cold iron	2	-	-	-
4	Deceive Item	3	-	-	-
5	Eldritch Blast 3d6	3	-	-	-
6		3	1	-	-
7	Eldritch Blast 4d6, Damage Reduction 2/Cold Iron	3	1	-	-
8	Fiendish Resilience 1	3	2	-	-
9	Eldritch blast 5d6	3	2	-	-
10	Energy Resistance 5	3	3	-	-
11	Eldritch Blast 6d6, Damage Reduction 3/Cold Iron	3	3	1	-
12	Imbue Item*	3	3	1	-
13	Fiendish Resilience 2	3	3	2	-
14	Eldritch blast 7d6	3	3	2	-
15	Damage Reduction 4/Cold Iron	3	3	3	-
16		3	3	3	1
17	Eldritch Blast 8d6	3	3	3	1
18	Fiendish Resilience 5	3	3	3	2
19	Damage Reduction 5/Cold Iron	3	3	3	2
20	Eldritch Blast 9d6, Energy Resistance 10	3	3	3	3
21		3	3	3	3
22	Eldritch Blast 10d6	3	3	3	3
23	Damage Reduction 6/Cold Iron, Bonus Feat	3	3	3	3
24	Eldritch Blast 11d6	3	3	3	3
25		3	3	3	3
26	Eldritch Blast 12d6, Bonus Feat	3	3	3	3
27	Damage Reduction 7/Cold Iron	3	3	3	3
28	Eldritch Blast 13d6	3	3	3	3
29	Bonus Feat	3	3	3	3
30	Eldritch Blast 14d6, Energy Resistance 15	3	3	3	3

Armor restrictions

Because the somatic components required for Warlock Invocations are relatively simple, a Warlock has Armored Caster and can use any of his invocations while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like Arcane Spellcasters, a Warlock wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure (all invocations, including Eldritch blast, have a somatic component). A multiclass Warlock still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from levels in other classes. Taking the Battle Caster feat removes the somatic spell failure chance for medium armor.

Eldritch Blast

A Warlock attacks his foes with Eldritch power, using baleful magical energy to deal damage and sometimes impart other debilitating effects. An Eldritch blast deals 1d6 points of magical damage at 1st level and increases in power as the Warlock rises in level (up to 14d6 by level 30). There is no Saving Throw with this attack, but Spell Resistance can negate it. This power can be used at will.

• An Eldritch blast is a ray with a range of 60ft.
• It is a ranged touch attack that affects a single target.
• half damage to objects.
• is a weapon-like spell (Critical hit on a roll of 20, double damage on a critical hit)
• One each of an Eldritch Essence and Blast Shape invocations may be applied to an Eldritch Blast.
• Applied invocations may cause additional effects and thus allow for a saving throw.

Eldritch Essence

Some of a Warlock's invocations, such as Frightful Blast, modify the damage or other effects of the Warlock's Eldritch blast. Unless otherwise noted, the Eldritch blast deals normal damage in addition to the effect of the essence. The Warlock can apply only one essence to a blast at a time.

Blast Shape

These invocations modify the range, target(s), or area of a Warlock's Eldritch blast. Unless otherwise noted, the Eldritch blast does normal damage.

Eldritch lore

At 2nd level the Warlock gains a +2 bonus to Lore and Spellcraft skill checks.

Damage Reduction

Fortified by the supernatural power flowing in his body, a Warlock becomes resistant to physical attacks at 3rd level and above, gaining damage reduction 1/cold iron (damage from attacks are reduced by 1 point unless the damage comes from cold iron). At 7th level and every four levels thereafter, a Warlock's damage reduction improves, up to 7/cold iron at level 27.

Deceive Item

From level 4 onwards, a Warlock gains a +4 bonus to Use Magic Device skill checks.

Fiendish Resilience

Once per day, for 20 rounds, the Warlock gains fast healing. The value is 1 point from 8th level, 2 points from 13th level and 5 points from 18th level.

Energy resistance

At level 10 a Warlock can choose two energy types from Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, and Sonic. He gains 5 points Damage Resistance against those chosen damage types. At 20th level, a Warlock gains resistance 10 to his chosen energy types. At 30th level, a Warlock gains resistance 15 to his chosen energy types.

Imbue Item

(Mask of the Betrayer only)

From level 12 onwards, a Warlock can use his supernatural power to create magic items, even if he does not know the spells required to make the item (although he must know the appropriate item creation feat). He can substitute a use magic device check (DC 15 + spell level for arcane spells or 25 + spell level for divine spells) in place of a required spell he does not know or can't cast.

Note: Due to the way some crafting recipies use the same reagents as others but different spells and the way this feat works (it does not allow a choice in the spell used), some crafting is not available to Warlocks, as the spell picked by the feat will never correspond to the one required.

E.g., The same reagents are required for 1d6 acid damage and poison damage for weapons; this feat will always pick the spell for poison and never add acid damage. The same applies with all the variations of move silently enchantments to armor as hide will be added in its stead.

Basic enchantments can be overcome by using scrolls as low caster levels are required but you will not be able to add +15 Move silent to armor with this feat.

[-GeeFresh-23/09/08]

Spellcasting: Invocations

Key ability	Type	Prepared
Charisma	eldritch	No

• Invocation: Warlocks utilize invocations to channel eldritch power at their enemies.

A Warlock does not prepare or cast spells as other wielders of arcane magic do. Instead, he possesses a repertoire of attacks, defenses, and abilities known as invocations that require him to focus the wild energy that suffuses his soul. A Warlock can use any invocation he knows at will.

• A Warlock's invocations are spell-like abilities, therefore a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity.
• If a Warlock is hit when invoking he must make a concentration check or the invocation is disrupted.
• A Warlock may choose to invoke defensively, by making a concentration check, to avoid provoking attacks of opportunities.
• A Warlock's invocations are subject to spell resistance unless an invocation's description specifically states otherwise. ** See Note Below**
• A Warlock's caster level with his invocations are equal to his class level. However, the spell level of the Eldritch Blast is always equal to one unless modified by shape/essence invocations. If both a blast shape and a blast essence are added to the Eldritch Blast, then the spell level of the blast is equal to the higher spell level of either the shape or essence.
• The DC for an invocation (if it allows a save) is 10 + equivalent spell level + Warlock's Charisma modifier.
• Warlock invocations suffer armor related spell failure (from medium and heavier armor and shields) in the same way as arcane spells (but: see Arcane Spell Failure).

NOTE: The bug that resulted in only half the warlock's caster level being used to calculate spell resistance checks has been fixed on BGTSCC. The bug that resulted in unmodified eldritch blasts of +10d6 damage to bypass spell resistance checks entirely has also been fixed on BGTSCC. Note that Eldritch Blasts modified with Vitriolic Essence innately do not have a Spell Resistance check.

Grades

The four grades of invocation, in order of their relative power, are least, lesser, greater and dark.

Gaining Invocations

A Warlock begins with knowledge of one invocation, which must be of the lowest grade (least). Warlocks may swap one invocation that they already know for one other of the same grade (least, lesser, etc.) every time they gain a level.

Enhancement Feats

Invocations are not actually spells, they are spell-like abilities, so they are not compatible with spell focus feats and any spellcasting feats, save Spell Penetration.

Ability Focus Blasts: Warlocks may now select the Ability Focus Blasts feat, which raises blast DCs by 2.

Extra Invocations: Warlocks may now select Extra Invocation feats. You may only select Extra Invocation feats for invocations up to one level below your maximum. Dark invocations can never be selected as Extra Invocations. Eldritch blast shapes and eldritch blast essences cannot be chosen with extra invocations. Extra Invocations is based on warlock class levels. If you are multi-classing then it could take longer to qualify. (This is a limitation of the game unfortunately.) This means you may select bonus Least invocations at level 6, Lesser invocations at level 11, and Greater invocations at level 16.

Equivalent Spell Level

Each invocation has an equivalent spell level (ESL) to determine the save DC (if it allows a save) and the required power to dispel it. If both a shape and an essence are applied to an Eldritch Blast, the ESL of the Eldritch Blast is the higher ESL of the eldritch blast, shape or essence. The ESL of an eldritch blast is x, where x is determined by the blast damage of the Warlock (xd6).

The save DC of any invocation is 10 + equivalent spell level + Warlock's Charisma modifier. Caster level equals Warlock class level.

Arcane Spell Failure

The Warlock is documented as being subject to arcane spell failure (the chance of an invocation to fail when wearing too-heavy armor or wielding a shield). However, it appears that only some invocations are actually subject to arcane spell failure:

NOTE: Fixed as of .1588, all invocations/spells suffer arcane failure as listed

• Charm
• Curse of Despair
• Devour Magic
• Flee the Scene
• The Dead Walk
• Voracious Dispelling
• Walk Unseen
• Chilling Tentacles

On the other hand, these are not subject to arcane spell failure (because they have no verbal or somatic component--whether this is intentional, or a bug, is open to question):

• Eldritch Blast (regardless of any shape or essence applied)
• Beguiling Influence
• Dark Foresight
• Dark One's Own Luck
• Darkness
• Devil's Sight
• Dread Seizure
• Entropic Warding
• Leaps and Bounds
• Otherworldly Whispers
• Retributive Invisibility
• See the Unseen
• Tenacious Plague
• Wall of Perilous Flame
• Word of Changing

NOTE: In the latest version (1.23) all of the Warlock's invocations are subject to arcane spell failure. Eldritch Blast as a spell-like ability is exempt.

Epic Spells

At epic levels, a Warlock can learn the following Epic Spells: Damnation, Entropic Husk, Epic Gate, Hellball, Vampiric Feast. All require a high level of Spellcraft to learn (This should be no problem as any high level Warlock should invest in Spellcraft for Eldritch Master).

Update: Warlocks can now qualify for their epic spells at Eldritch Blast 7d6, ensuring that they always qualify for epic spells at an appropriate level for their invocation access regardless of their multiclassing. Pure warlocks will unfortunately qualify for epic spells one level later than they used to, but all other warlock builds will qualify much sooner than previously as they no longer have to wait until they have 16 levels in the base warlock class despite progressing in warlock through Hellfire or other warlock PRCs.

Note: These are not spells granted, they are actually Epic Level Feats that may be taken whenever a bonus feat is offered with leveling.