I was wondering the exact scaling of a warlocks mystic bolt attack. The text is as follows.
"A mystic bolt deals 1d6 points of damage plus 1 for every 4 vigilante levels the warlock has."
Does that mean at level 4 he deals 2d6+2 damage with a bolt? Thus scaling like magic missile? Or does it just do 1d6+2 and scale like a cure light wounds spell?
I was wondering the exact scaling of a warlocks mystic bolt attack. The text is as follows.
"A mystic bolt deals 1d6 points of damage plus 1 for every 4 vigilante levels the warlock has."
Does that mean at level 4 he deals 2d6+2 damage with a bolt? Thus scaling like magic missile? Or does it just do 1d6+2 and scale like a cure light wounds spell?
1d6 +1/4 levels. So at Level 4 it would be 1d6+1.
If it was adding dice, it would be written as follows: "plus 1d6 additional points of damage for every 4 vigilante levels the warlock has."
"1" always refers to a numeric "1," not a variable "1" (as in 1d6, which is a variable die amount).
Thanks. I had thought it would be more but wanted to be sure
I was wondering the exact scaling of a warlocks mystic bolt attack. The text is as follows.
"A mystic bolt deals 1d6 points of damage plus 1 for every 4 vigilante levels the warlock has."
Does that mean at level 4 he deals 2d6+2 damage with a bolt? Thus scaling like magic missile? Or does it just do 1d6+2 and scale like a cure light wounds spell?
The latter.
Thanks. I had thought it would be more but wanted to be sure
Yup, its pretty low. The best way to boost it is to pick up the vigilante talent that gives you Arcane Strike, since it eventually applies a weapon special quality to your bolts.
If you want all day blasting at respectable power kineticists are thataways.
Warlocks get 6th level arcane casting and there are ways to make the bolts do semi-decent damage anyway. They're pretty okay all told.
Yup, and I think in one of these threads someone showed a fairly straightforward way to shred a marilith with them (which has resist 10 to everything). Honestly, though, I think if the vigilante warlock has been called anything else except warlock, it would have been easier to see the class's strengths and weaknesses, but the name made people think of the 3.5 warlock, which was a very different style of character (not a 6-level caster, no vigilante talents, single untyped but low damage attack as its extremely central shtick, etc).
If you want, you can dip one level into rogue and grab the "accomplished sneak attacker" feat. Spend a turn to blind the opponent, now all your bolts have +2d6 damage from sneak attack.
|
If you want, you can dip one level into rogue and grab the "accomplished sneak attacker" feat. Spend a turn to blind the opponent, now all your bolts have +2d6 damage from sneak attack.
Honestly, the warlock levels are better dipped if you go that route. Get 3rd or 5th, for one or all attacks as touch per round respectively and then stick with unchained rogue. This helps against outsiders especially, since you can use finesse training to pick up a mundane weapon for those things resistant to your energy damage.
Fair point.
Though, the pure warlock DOES have the option of "sense vitals".
|
Right now, I have my 2nd level Warlock with the Lethal Grace Vigilante talent and don't get another until 6th level, when I will take Arcane Striker. The reason I didn't take the one is to better hit with my bolts at low level, plus they are getting the additional damage also. Seems a bit underwhelming, when the social identity can't cast spells or use the bolts.
Unfortunately, lethal grace does not work with mystic bolts, because the mystic bolts are never adding their strength bonus to damage rolls.
.
I'm at work, I'll be back.
Okay, so the thing you gotta know about maximizing damage on the warlock is that it comes from being able to reliably land multiple rays.
For this reason, it is actually viable to dip into the Gunslingers bag of tricks and take both Two-Weapon Fighting and Rapid Shot, in order to get 3 attacks off in a round.
This makes Arcane Striker a must have choice at 2nd level.
A human can have this build done at 5th level (which is when it matters). PBS, Precise Shot, TWF, and Rapid Shot are the 4 feats you need.
At 5th level, you shoot 3 rays against touch that each deal 1d6+3, or 3d6+9 total.
As you progress, remember that getting more bolts is what matters, and clustered shots should work to help with energy resistance, if I remember correctly how alchemists work with it.
Well, that explains why that alchemist in my last game performed so well.
You could always decide to target normal AC and use Deadly Aim for more damage per shot, but you'll need an amazing attack bonus if you want to pull that off with Rapid Shot and/or TWF in addition. This archetype also performs well with friendly bards and every archer's best friend, the Battle Herald.
It would be really interesting to get VMC Paladin or Cavalier for Smite or Challenge, but the low uses/day hold it back. Perhaps you could go mostly Paladin or Cavalier and dip a few levels instead.