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Warlock
A lot of this is the effort of a fellow message board frequenter, Master Arminas. The rest is just my take on the Pathfinder Warlock Update. I thought that the focus for the Warlock should be his unique ability, so this is where that led. If anyone has any ideas for blast tricks, I'd love to hear them.
Alignment: Any
HD: d8
BAB: Medium
Good Saves: Fort, Will
Class Skills:
Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (Arcana) (Int), Knowledge (Local) (Int), Knowledge (The Planes) (Int), Perception (Wis), Profession (Wis), Ride (Dex), Sense Motive (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).
Skill Ranks per Level: 4 + Int modifier
Weapon and Armor Proficiencies: The warlock is proficient with all simple weapons. He is proficient with light armor, but not with medium or heavy armor, or with shields of any type. The warlock can cast warlock spells (but not arcane spells gained from other classes) in light armor without incurring the normal chance of arcane spell failure. While wearing medium or heavy armor or when using a shield, a warlock suffers the normal chance of spell failure.
Eldritch Blast (Su):
A warlock has a supernatural ability known as the eldritch blast; this ability allow the warlock to focus his well of eldritch arcane energy into a damaging blast able to wound, or even kill, his opponents. As a standard action that doesn’t provoke an attack of opportunity, a warlock can make a ranged touch attack against an opponent within 60 feet, dealing 1d8 points of damage (the damage results from pure arcane energy and does not possess an energy type, therefore energy resistances and immunities offer no protection). The target of the eldritch blast receives no saving throw. At 2nd level, and every two warlock levels gained thereafter, the damage inflicted by an eldritch blast increases by 1d8 to a maximum of 11d8 at 20th level. An eldritch blast is not subject to spell resistance. An eldritch blast deals half damage to objects. For the purposes of the spells globe of invulnerability, lesser globe of invulnerability, and similar powers and effects, a 1st level warlock’s eldritch blast has an effective spell level equal to a 1st-level spell. At each odd-numbered warlock level gained thereafter, the eldritch blast strength increases by one level, to an effective spell of 9th-level at warlock level 17.
Blast Shapes:
At first level and every two levels gained thereafter, a warlock discovers a new method of focusing his eldritch blast. Modifying an eldritch blast with a blast shape requires no action, but a warlock can only apply one blast shape at a time and must choose the blast shape before each use. At 5th level and every five levels thereafter, a warlock may trade out one of his learned blast shapes for another.
Blast Essence: At 3rd level and every 2 levels gained thereafter, a warlock can focus his eldritch blast in another form of energy or to have another effect. Modifying an eldritch blast with a blast essence requires no action, but a warlock can only apply one blast essence at a time and must choose a blast essence before each use. A warlock can modify an eldritch blast with both a blast shape and a blast essence but doing so requires a move action. At 10th level and every 5 levels thereafter, a warlock may trade out one of his learned Blast essences for another as long as it isn’t a prerequisite for a learned blast essence. All saves forced from blast essences are equal to 10 + ½ Warlock Level + Cha Modifier.
Blast Trick:
At 4TH level and every 2 levels gained thereafter, a warlock learns to use his eldritch blast in a new way. He must choose a blast trick that he qualifies for from the blast trick list. He may use any blast trick that he knows an unlimited number of times per day.
Empowered Blast: At 11th level a warlock may empower (as per the feat empower spell) his eldritch blast. He may do this a number of times per day equal to 3+ his CHA Modifier.
Maximized Blast:
At 15th level a warlock may maximize (as per the feat maximize spell) his eldritch blast. He may do this a number of times per day equal to 3+ his CHA Modifier.
Eldritch Self:
At 20th level a warlock may at will become the living embodiment of his inner power. He takes on the attributes of an elemental, gaining immunity to bleed, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning. He also is not subject to critical hits and doesn’t require food, sleep or even breath to live as long as he is in his elemental form. He gains energy resistance 10 to all energy types, DR 10/ Cold Iron and the save DC for any blast trick or shape increases by 2. He also gains darkvision 60ft if he doesn’t already have it as well as a +2 bonus to str, dex and con.
Blast shapes:
Eldritch Spear: The warlock can use his eldritch blast at medium range (100 ft. + 10 ft./level) instead of the standard 60-foot range.
Minor Eldritch Cone: The warlock can modify his eldritch blast to deal damage in a 15ft cone.
Minor Eldritch Sphere: The warlock can modify his eldritch blast to deal damage in a 5ft emanation centered on him.
Minor Eldritch Line: The warlock can modify his eldritch blast to deal damage in a 30 ft line.
Eldritch Strike: The warlock infuses his melee weapon with the power of his eldritch blast. This invocation may be used as a standard action, and imbues one melee weapon which the warlock is currently wielding with the energy of his eldritch blast. As part of the invocation, the warlock may make a single melee attack roll with his weapon, gaining a bonus on the attack roll equal to the warlock’s Charisma modifier (if any). If the attack successful hits the warlock deals normal weapon damage plus the full damage of his eldritch blast. A successful critical hit (using the weapons critical threat range) deals normal critical hit damage for just the weapon but not the eldritch blast. A warlock must be at least 3rd level to select this Blast shape
Eldritch Cone: The warlock can modify his eldritch blast to deal damage in a 30ft Cone. A warlock must be at least 6th level to select this Blast Shape.
Eldritch Line: The warlock can modify his eldritch blast to deal damage in a 60ft Line. A warlock must be at least 6th level to select his Blast Shape.
Eldritch Sphere: The warlock can modify his eldritch Blast to deal damage in a 15ft emanation centered on him.
Fast Blasts: The warlock may blast additional times as a full-round action if his base attack bonus is high enough to grant him additional attacks. This functions just like a full-attack with a ranged weapon. A warlock must be at least 8th level to select this Blast Shape.
Greater Eldritch Spear: A warlock can use his eldritch blast at a long range (400 ft + 40 ft/level) instead of the standard 60ft range. A warlock must be at least 8th level to select this Blast Shape.
Greater Eldritch Cone: A warlock can modify his blast to deal damage in a 60ft Cone. A warlock must be at least 10th level to select this Blast Shape.
Greater Eldritch Line: A warlock can modify his blast to deal damage in a 120ft line. A warlock must be at least 10th level to select this Blast Shape.
Greater Eldritch Sphere: A warlock can modify his blast to deal damage in a 30ft emanation centered on him. A warlock must be at least 10th level to select this blast shape.
Greater Eldritch Strike: The warlock infuses his melee weapon with the power of his eldritch blast. This blast shape may be used as a full round action, and imbues one melee weapon which the warlock is currently wielding with the energy of his eldritch blast. As part of the invocation, the warlock may make a full attack action with his weapon, gaining a bonus on the attack roll equal to the warlock’s Charisma modifier (if any). For each attack that successfully hits, the warlock deals normal weapon damage plus the full damage of his eldritch blast. A successful critical hit (using the weapons critical threat range) deals normal critical hit damage for just the weapon but not the eldritch blast. A warlock must be at least 15th level to select this
Blast shape.
Eldritch Doom: A warlock can modify his blast to deal damage in a 30 ft radius spread with a range of 60ft that affects all creatures in the area. A warlock must be at least 15th level to select this blast shape.
Blast Essences:
Boreal Blast: The warlock alters his eldritch blast to inflict cold damage. The damage on his eldritch blast increases by +1d8; this extra damage applies only to the boreal blast.
Inferno Blast: The warlock alters his eldritch blast to inflict fire damage. The damage on his eldritch blast increases by +1d8; this extra damage applies only to the inferno blast.
Maelstrom Blast: The warlock alters his eldritch blast to inflict electricity damage. The damage on his eldritch blast increases by +1d8; this extra damage applies only to the maelstrom blast.
Vitriolic Blast: The warlock alters his eldritch blast to inflict acid damage. The damage on his eldritch blast increases by +1d8; this extra damage applies only to the vitriolic blast.
Beshadowed Blast: The target of the eldritch blast suffers normal damage and must make a Fortitude saving throw or become blinded for 2 rounds. A warlock must be at least 6th level to select this essence.
Exsanguinating Blast: The target of the eldritch blast suffers normal damage and must make a Fortitude saving throw or suffer 1d6 points of bleed damage. The DC for a heal check to staunch the bleeding is equal to that of the invocation; a cure wounds spell of any level automatically staunches this effect. A warlock must be at least 4th level to select this essence.
Frightful Blast: The target of the eldritch blast suffers normal damage and must make a Will saving throw or become shaken for 2 rounds. This is a mind-affecting, fear affect.
Hindering Blast: The target of the eldritch blast suffers normal damage and must make a Will saving throw or become slowed (as per the spell slow) for 2 rounds.
Sickening Blast: The target of the eldritch blast suffers normal damage and must make a Fortitude saving throw or become sickened for 2 rounds.
Bewitching Blast: The target of the eldritch blast suffers normal damage and must make a Fortitude saving throw or become confused for 2 rounds. A warlock must be at least 10th level to select this Essence.
Banishing Blast: The target of the eldritch blast suffers normal damage. In addition, if the target is an outsider it must make a Will saving throw or suffer the effects of dismissal (as per the spell). If the target has merely been summoned via a spell (such as summon monster or summon nature's ally), this essence counters and dispels the summoning spell (for the creature targeted only) with no saving throw.
Fatiguing Blast: The target of the eldritch blast suffers normal damage and must make a fortitude saving throw or become fatigued. This essence does not stack with itself. If a creature fails it’s save against this essence twice, he remains fatigued and does not become exhausted. A warlock must be at least 10th level to select this Essence.
Noxious Blast: The target of the eldritch blast suffers normal damage and must make a Fortitude saving throw or become nauseated for 2 rounds. A warlock must be at least 10th level to select this Essence.
Weakening Blast: Any creature damaged by the warlock’s eldritch blast must make a Will save or take 2 points of Strength damage. A warlock must be at least 10th level to select this Essence.
Exhausting Blast: The target of the eldritch blast suffers normal damage and must make a Fortitude saving throw or become exhausted. A warlock must be at least 15th level to select this Essence.
Stunning Blast: The target of the eldritch blast suffers normal damage and must make a Will saving throw or be stunned for 2 rounds.
Utterdark Blast: The target of the eldritch blast suffers normal damage and must make a Fortitude saving throw or gain 2 negative levels. Undead creatures suffer no damage and gain no benefit from this Essence. A warlock must be at least 18th level to select this Essence.
Blast Tricks:
Fiery Motion: Positioning his blast behind him, the warlock propels himself forward with the explosive force of his eldritch energy. As a move action, the warlock can move up to twice his move speed in a straight line.
Improved Fiery Motion: After a great deal of practice, the warlock has learned to change direction with his blast propulsion. As a move action, the warlock can move up to twice his move speed as he chooses. In addition, as a free action, the warlock can slow his descent in a fall as per the spell featherfall. (Prerequisites: Fiery Motion, Warlock level 4)
Blasting Drill: The warlock can relentlessly pummel into the ground gaining a burrow speed equal to half his move speed through any material with a hardness less than stone. (Prerequisite: Fiery Motion, Warlock Level 6)
Booming Flight: At this level of mastery, the warlock has learned to keep himself aloft with the force of his eldritch blasts. As a move action, the warlock gains a fly speed equal to his move speed for 1 round. A warlock must maintain this fly speed every turn as a move action, even if he doesn’t move. (Prerequisites: Improved Booming Motion, Warlock Level 6)
Agile Booming Flight: The warlock at this level has achieved nearly effortless flight. His fly speed increases to twice his move speed. Maintaining his fly speed becomes a free action, moving still requires a move action. (Prerequisites: Booming Flight, Warlock Level 9)
Blast Transfer: With this trick a warlock learns to put himself into his blast. As a standard action, the warlock may choose an unoccupied 5ft sq within 30 ft and fire his eldritch blast. The blast absorbs the warlock as it leaves his hand and releases him in the target square. The warlock must have line of sight to his target location. This otherwise functions as per the spell dimensional door. (Prerequisites: Fiery Motion: Warlock Level 9)
Improved Blast Transfer: As blast transfer but up to 60ft. (Prerequisites: Blast Transfer, Warlock Level 12)
Resonating Blast: With this trick, the warlock blasts into the ground as a standard action dealing damage as per his eldritch blast to all enemies within 15ft, half with a successful reflex save. All in the area must make a reflex save or fall prone. (Prerequisites: Eldritch Sphere)
Greater Resonating Blast: As resonating blast but 30 ft. (Prerequisites: Greater Eldritch Sphere, Resonating Blast)
Eldritch Throw: As a standard action, the warlock focuses his blast at a distance causing it to rise up from under his opponent. The attack must hit the target as a normal eldritch blast, then the target must make a reflex save or fall prone. This save is at a +2 difficulty. If the target fails by 5 or more, then he is thrown 5 feet into the air for every 5 by which he fails the save. The target takes falling damage if he rises above ten feet. With a successful save, the damage is halved, and the target isn’t thrown and doesn’t fall prone. Prequisite: Warlock Level 9
Lesser Rushing Force: As a standard action, the warlock can focus more momentum into his blast causing opponents hit by it to be pushed back. The warlock must attack with his blast as normal. In addition to dealing damage as normal, the warlock must make a bull rush attempt using his warlock level + his cha bonus as his CMB against his targets CMD. With a success the target is pushed back 5 feet plus an additional 5 feet for each 5 over the target’s CMD. This movement doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity. Prerequisite: Warlock Level 6
Rushing Force: As Lesser Rushing force but affects all targets in a 30ft Cone. Prerequisite: Lesser Rushing Force, Eldritch Cone, Warlock level 9
Greater Rushing Force: As Lesser Rushing force but affects all targets in a 30ft emanation centered on the warlock. Prerequisite Rushing Force, Eldritch Sphere, Warlock level 12
Drawing Force: As a standard action, the warlock can focus his blast behind his opponent causing his target to be pushed toward him. The warlock must make a ranged touch attack as normal. If it hits, in addition to dealing damage as normal, the warlock must make a bull rush attempt using his warlock level + his cha bonus as his CMB against his targets CMD. With a success the target is pushed 5 feet closer to the warlock plus an additional 5 feet for each 5 over the target’s CMD. This movement doesn’t provoke attacks of opportunity.
Eldritch Aura: As a standard action, the warlock can focus his eldritch power around his body for a number of rounds equal to 3 + ½ Warlock level + his CHA Modifier. During this time, any melee attack that hits him causes a backlash of eldritch energy. This backlash deals 1 damage per die of his eldritch blast + his Cha Modifier. This damage results from pure arcane energy and does not possess an energy type, therefore energy resistances, energy immunities, and damage reduction of any type offer no protection against it. It always deals lethal damage and is not under the conscious control of the warlock. Any melee attack that inflicts hit point damage to the warlock provokes the use of this ability. Prerequisite: Warlock level 6
Eldritch Spike: As a full round action, the warlock may make an Eldritch Throw attempt with a +2 bonus to the DC (stacks with the regular Eldritch Throw bonus.) If he his successful, he quickly uses his Blast Transfer or Agile Booming Flight ability to move above his soaring opponent and quickly blast him back down. The warlock must succeed on both touch attacks, and the target must fail his save for this trick to be successful. If it is, the target takes full damage from both eldritch blasts and whatever falling damage applies. Prerequisites: Eldritch Throw, Agile Booming Motion or Eldritch Transfer, Warlock Level 15.
Eldritch Trap: As a standard action, the warlock may force his energy out into a five foot square where it stays for a number of rounds equal to ½ Warlock level + Cha Modifier until someone comes close enough to trigger it. The warlock must choose an unoccupied five foot square to focus on. The ball of eldritch energy hangs in the air until an opponent comes within ten feet of the square. It then bursts, dealing eldritch blast damage as normal. Only one of these traps can be set at a time. Any further traps set causes the previous blast to fade out of existence, dealing no damage. Prerequisite: Warlock level 6.
Some good ideas here. You are focusing on eldritch blast completely then . . . no utility or invocations?
MA
What I wanted was to base his utility abilities on his Eldritch Blast since it felt like the base ability of the class, so the invocations are replaced by blast tricks. The movement ones were easy enough to come up with and adding in the ones that replicated combat maneuvers seemed obvious, but I fell short coming up with out of combat uses. It is a "Blast," so making it useful in noncombat is difficult.
Also, I thought allowing for a shape and essence modification gave the warlock at least some advantage over a wizard/sorcerer in that crowd control could be customized more easily with each different situation he came up against. 30 foot cones of sickening or at later levels long range stunning spears for flying opponents.
I really thought your guide would add the fast blasts as an option since Paizo already did that with the alchemist. I went ahead and made it available for weapon focused blasts, but for balance, I took away the crit thing. Critting eldritch blast on a fifteen seemed much.
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Ok, first off I would combine the Rushing Force Blast trick with Fiery Motion.
Further I would have three levels of Fiery Motion, a lesser, a regular, and a greater. Lesser should do as it currently does except it adds a bonus to bull rush attempts. Improved should do as it does but allows a bull rush as if you had the Bull Rush feat. Finally, Greater should allow you to rush in any direction, and then have a choice of a bull rush as per Greater Bull Rush, or perform an Eldritch Blast or an Eldritch Throw. The requirements for Improved should be upped to level 5 or 6 and Greater should be 7 or 8.
Also, I would change the damage of Eldritch Aura to 1d4 per die damage of eldritch blast + Cha Mod. Also I would add a +2 shield bonus to it as well. I would also change the prerequisite level to 4.
Another change is to add a Dispelling Blast to the Various Essences. Having it function as it did previously in 3.5.
Further more, with Eldritch Self I would change the DR 10/cold iron to DR 5/-. This being as enhancement bonuses now help to bypass DR types and by 20th level enemies with magic weapons will have the requisite enhancement bonus. Darkvision thematically fits for the class but players have access to darkvision long before this level, thus making it redundant. You could add some utility spells or abilities that don't focus on the eldritch blast. One could be gaining Darkvision.
Another (and my personal favorite from 3.5 warlock) could be the black tentacles invocation. Make it a Blast Essence. Another that it'd add is the baleful polymorph blast essence.
More ideas to come.