Author Topic: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock  (Read 11956 times)

Offline ariasderros

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Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« on: July 02, 2012, 01:06:39 PM »
I want to make sure I'm doing this right.
This is RAW, I know this is not RAI.

Concept: as much Hellfire Blast damage as possible; getting useful invocations, and lots of them, early.

At level 12, the build would be:
Binder 1 / Warlock 6 / Legacy Champion 1 / Uncanny Trickster 1 / Hellfire Warlock 1 / Legacy Champion 1 / Uncanny Trickster 1
With all three bloodline levels bought off already of a custom Major Devil Bloodline.

So first, on my understanding of the mechanics of the Bloodline levels:
1) after you spend XP on it, that is when you get the "virtual levels" on other classes, so basically, it's treated like a LA buy-off that has a "kicker effect";
2) while it may be RAI to only apply this to one class, RAW it applies to all classes.

So, my thought is, HF, LC and UT, all of which state that you "add your levels in this class to X, for X purposes", designating HF as the boosted class from LC and UT. The Bloodline increases your levels in each class for purposes of "calculations". So if I'm reading this right: then you get to add the Bloodline to Warlock, which only increases the range and caster level of the EB; add it to HF Warlock to gain + 3 levels to the advancement of Hellfire Blast, and Invoking, which means that from this you basically treat your Warlock level as 4 higher for you Invocations known, EB damage, et cetera, instead of just one from HF; added to LC for another +4 instead of +1 as normal to HF Warlock; repeat to UT for another +4 instead of +1 as normal to HF Warlock.

For +11 to Hellfire Warlock, totaling 12. (One for class level in HF Warlock, one for class level in Legacy Champion, one for class level in Uncanny Trickster, 3 for virtual levels from bloodline to HF Warlock, 3 for virtual levels from bloodline to Legacy Champion, 3 for virtual levels from bloodline to Uncanny Trickster.)

Meaning you'd choose your invocations for Warlock as though you were a level 18 Warlock, and your Hellfire Blast would deal 32d6 damage (8d6 base from level "18" Warlock, plus 24d6 from level "12" Hellfire Warlock).

While this breaks RAI, I like this concept, because of its balance.
Why? Most of the Warlocks invocations are not that powerful when you get them, but like this, you can actually make use of the class. The damage might seem high, but even if you max out the use of the scepter for +4d6, Greater Chasuble for +2d6, and Mortalbane for +2d6 getting 40d6, that is still only going to average 140 damage, which this guy will have had delayed progression in the party from spending XP on Bloodlines, so he would be going up against CR 14's, which usually can withstand over 250 damage.

So, question time:
A) Is there any glaring misunderstandings that I am having on application of Bloodline Levels?
B) Are there any disagreements about my assertion of the balance of this?
C) Any other comments?
D) Would you allow this, for this build?
E) Would you be so stupid as to allow this type of Bloodline + UT / LC abuse to apply carte blanche?
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Offline awaken_D_M_golem

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #1 on: July 02, 2012, 08:32:38 PM »
LA Buy-off ... treating a Bloodline as LA+3
can work exactly like a normal LA+3 and
that's the easiest way to do deal with it.
Class level (not ecl or including racial hd)
9 is where the 1st la gets bought off.
Then again at levels 12 and 15. 
You'll still be ~about 1 level down at level 20.
That's even with Experience Is A River
providing exp catch-up.

PLZ has the most extensive handbook here.
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Offline ariasderros

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #2 on: July 02, 2012, 10:23:16 PM »
LA Buy-off ... treating a Bloodline as LA+3
can work exactly like a normal LA+3 and
that's the easiest way to do deal with it.
Class level (not ecl or including racial hd)
9 is where the 1st la gets bought off.
Then again at levels 12 and 15. 
You'll still be ~about 1 level down at level 20.
That's even with Experience Is A River
providing exp catch-up.

PLZ has the most extensive handbook here.

I am aware that there are many ways to house-rule this to be less powerful, which is what the delayed progression that you espouse is and does.

It was reading through PLZ's handbook that gave me the idea. I followed his handbook to a tee as far as I can tell.

While I realize there are more powerful ways to use this (Druid+Planar Shepherd+UT+LC), but this is one area wherein the abuse of the combo is, in my opinion, actually balanced and able to make a normally "handicapped" class much better.

This all came about, for me, because the Warlock, and Hellfire Warlock, are "cool" classes. But unless you are abusing item creation, and thus being the Artificers little brother, or abusing certain other tricks (Dark Speech) you can't significantly contribute in most parties. Especially at the mid and higher levels. This fixes that.
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Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2012, 11:34:12 AM »
My post!
A Hellfire build like Warlock 7 / Binder 1 / Uncanny Trickster 1 / Hellfire Warlock 3 / Uncanny Trickster(hellfire) +2 / Legacy Champion(trickster) 6 is a 17th level Warlock with ten levels of Hellfire Warlock (+20d6 damage) and seven free skill tricks.

Greater Chasuble of Fell Power adds +2d6 damage.
Eldritch Glaive let you attack three times in a single round, avg 231.5 dmg which is almost enough to kill a couple CR20s in one round.

Metamagic Spell Trigger(quicken) Wand of Divine Power lets you attack four times per round (avg 308 dmg).

Gloves of Eldritch Admixture (MiC): 3 charges daily, <1+charges spent>d6 eldritch blast.
Warlock’s Scepter (CAr): gives +2 profane to attack but only 5 charges can be used per day (thus +4d6).
There is up to +8d6, or 3/day +3d6 & then following that 2/day +2d6.

The Meta-SLAs apply on each use of an SLA , so each use on Eldritch Glaive gives you a enhanced full attack.
Which means each die averages out to 7.75 damage rather than 3.5.

So you can deal 231~930 damage.
If you spread out those higher damage effects you can maintain a 300+ number through out the day.
And you can still look into Mortalbane.

Some corrections.
idk what book you're reading, but Bloodlines are not LA per RAW.
Optimize By Numbers says CR14 mobs have an average 180 HP. Not 250+.

So the question to ask you, do you still think another houseruled +9d6 to the base (up to +279, seriously enough to almost kill a Balor without more dice) is needed or it 'balances' out the Warlock?
« Last Edit: July 03, 2012, 12:01:30 PM by SorO_Lost »

Offline awaken_D_M_golem

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2012, 05:25:02 PM »
... idk what book you're reading, but Bloodlines are not LA per RAW ...
I don't agree with PLZ that bloodlines
are LAs, but that's where he went with
it on one of his guides, and it isn't that
much of a problem. 
Yet another bloodline argument.
I should have started with a YMMV tag.
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Offline PlzBreakMyCampaign

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2012, 07:03:57 PM »
... idk what book you're reading, but Bloodlines are not LA per RAW ...
I don't agree with PLZ that bloodlines
are LAs, but that's where he went with
it on one of his guides, and it isn't that
much of a problem. 
Yet another bloodline argument.
I should have started with a YMMV tag.
You've been reading too much GitP. That guide over there is horrible. Bloodlines aren't LA. They are however, suspiciously similar. I prefer something like Pseudo ECL. I'm sure you already knew that though.

Anyways, OP: I already have a max eldritch/hellfire blast build. Its been on the internet for years now. Like everything else its in my dump area. Its even in my Build Compendium. Did you really think I wouldn't claim that record considering my Bloodlines work?   :cool

Offline ariasderros

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2012, 12:38:10 PM »
My post!
(click to show/hide)
Quote
A Hellfire build like Warlock 7 / Binder 1 / Uncanny Trickster 1 / Hellfire Warlock 3 / Uncanny Trickster(hellfire) +2 / Legacy Champion(trickster) 6 is a 17th level Warlock with ten levels of Hellfire Warlock (+20d6 damage) and seven free skill tricks.
Yeah, the number of builds of this, and the sheer variety thereof, that I've seen, is astounding. Wasn't the point, but kudos.

Quote
Greater Chasuble of Fell Power adds +2d6 damage.
Eldritch Glaive let you attack three times in a single round, avg 231.5 dmg which is almost enough to kill a couple CR20s in one round.
Metamagic Spell Trigger(quicken) Wand of Divine Power lets you attack four times per round (avg 308 dmg).
Gloves of Eldritch Admixture (MiC): 3 charges daily, <1+charges spent>d6 eldritch blast.
Warlock’s Scepter (CAr): gives +2 profane to attack but only 5 charges can be used per day (thus +4d6).
There is up to +8d6, or 3/day +3d6 & then following that 2/day +2d6.
(click to show/hide)
Quote
So you can deal 231~930 damage.
If you spread out those higher damage effects you can maintain a 300+ number through out the day.
And you can still look into Mortalbane.
(click to show/hide)
Quote
Some corrections.
idk what book you're reading, but Bloodlines are not LA per RAW.
(click to show/hide)
Quote
Optimize By Numbers says CR14 mobs have an average 180 HP. Not 250+.
(click to show/hide)
Quote
So the question to ask you, do you still think another houseruled +9d6 to the base (up to +279, seriously enough to almost kill a Balor without more dice) is needed or it 'balances' out the Warlock?
(click to show/hide)
Anyone else? I promise I'm not going to be as dickish to everyone who disagrees, so long as you don't start out with a blatant attempt to insult me.
« Last Edit: July 04, 2012, 12:41:46 PM by ariasderros »
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Offline ariasderros

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #7 on: July 04, 2012, 01:00:39 PM »
Anyways, OP: I already have a max eldritch/hellfire blast build. Its been on the internet for years now. Like everything else its in my dump area. Its even in my Build Compendium. Did you really think I wouldn't claim that record considering my Bloodlines work?   :cool

Yes, but I wanted to post this after having read that. Because you didn't apply the Bloodline boost to Legacy Champion, Didn't include Uncanny Trickster, or the combination thereof.

So I wasn't sure if I was doing it right, or if there had been a reason you hadn't done this yourself.

I had also been looking at it from the perspective of types of enemies being faced by such a person, and was thinking that this box-full of d6's of damage actually wasn't that OP, and was wondering if anyone else thought that it was too powerful for a "normal game", or even a "high-powered game" (quotes are because those terms are so subjective from group-to-group and person-to-person as to be meaningless).

Because, lets face it, playing a young female Useelie Spark Strongheart Halfling, whose linage is that she is 8 steps descended from a Pit Fiend working for Mephistopheles on the whole Hellfire thing, and 6 steps decended from a Ragewalker who was spawned on a battlefield from the Blood War, would be kind of cool. Especially if she tells someone about her family: "so what does that make you?" "Pissed as Hell!" as she immolates the area around her for dramatic effect as she responds :).
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Offline SorO_Lost

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #8 on: July 04, 2012, 03:27:23 PM »
My rebuttal!
Come to think of it. Wild Shape is underpowered crap. Seriously, like every Druid ever that wants to use it to any degree of optimization picks up Natural Spell. We must fix this.

With houserules I read on the Internet, totally RAW and I'll disclaim and change my story if called out.
Teh druid can merge 2 wild shapes in 1, getting bonuses of each and multiple heads and such if needed.
Don't worry, did my research on this. It's totally balanced against CR 7 creatures with 300HP and DR 50/Adamantine & Silver.

***

You know, I was only pointing out you don't know monster HP for levels or even googled them, don't know Warlock damage potential, never read the Bloodline rules, and thought you needed to empower a Warlock to hit silly overkill numbers in damage.

Now I just point and laugh.

So, this is your underlaying problem.
Because, lets face it, playing a young female Useelie Spark Strongheart Halfling, whose linage is that she is 8 steps descended from a Pit Fiend working for Mephistopheles on the whole Hellfire thing, and 6 steps decended from a Ragewalker who was spawned on a battlefield from the Blood War, would be kind of cool. Especially if she tells someone about her family: "so what does that make you?" "Pissed as Hell!" as she immolates the area around her for dramatic effect as she responds :).
You seriously want to take one of the highest rated races in D&D, add the most powerful 3rd party templates ever printed, then further add houserules aimed towards imbalance, and it's all done for "flavor". But you'll refute EB optimization, usage of ED, of even the flat out superior to Extra Invocation line of Spell-Like Metamagics.

You're not an OPer, you're a roleplayer.
And I'm sure this paragraph here is more insulting than anything I have said in this post, but not in regards to you.

Offline ariasderros

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #9 on: July 04, 2012, 10:18:04 PM »
So, this is your underlaying problem.
Because, lets face it, playing a young female The charachter I'd jokingly referenced.
You're criticization of a character that was a blatant attempt to make it powerful.
Quote
But you'll refute EB optimization, usage of ED, of even the flat out superior to Extra Invocation line of Spell-Like Metamagics.
If you notice, I refuted that the Glaive was the end-all be all of damaging invocations, because you have to make specific efforts to set it up. If you notice, my comments were pointing out that once the damage is done, you still need to have other abilities, thus putting all of your feats into boosting what is already good damage into being insane (a small number of times per day). Not because it shouldn't be optimized, but because you shouldn't ever really just focus on optimizing just one part of the character at a time, which is why the teir 1's are in their tier, because they can always optimize everything simultaneously.
Quote
You're not an OPer, you're a roleplayer.
And I'm sure this paragraph here is more insulting than anything I have said in this post, but not in regards to you.
Not mutually exclusive. But thank you for taking hyperbole that I'd jokingly written outside of any kind of argumentative point with you and making it the focus of your counter-argument, since there was obviously no further mechanical points to be made on your end.

To clairify:
This is your entire post.
Although, I may be at least partially guilty of that last one too. Which is why I started and finished the OP asking if I was doing this right.

You have refuted that I am not, but only provided one example of a single tactic that would be used by a similar build. You made your own character, made assumptions of use of resources on said character, as a completed character, used that persons damage numbers as your example, in a situation that that character would have had no means to set up, and held that to be a point against what I'd said.

... so, these too.
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Offline PlzBreakMyCampaign

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #10 on: July 18, 2012, 09:10:50 PM »
you didn't apply the Bloodline boost to Legacy Champion, Didn't include Uncanny Trickster, or the combination thereof.
I considered the later, but I'm pretty sure I did the former.

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #11 on: August 30, 2015, 09:21:43 AM »
lil thread necromancy  :rolleyes

just wanted to verify Legacy champ requires Character Level 10?

to me, the op build is outa whack...

i see HellFire at level 10, know planes 12 take 9 levels? then 1 HF, 6 LC, 2 HF, UT 2

LC and UT both have issues w/ their 1st level?

3 HF 6d, 6 LC 10d, UT 2d, if bloodlines dont eat 3 active levels (i still dont know the RAW, would like to see a build published by wizards) then adding 6dx 3 and 3d to your regular EB or more if you have prcs in the first 9 levels.

i see 8 regular EB
36 HFB

if your counting Bloodlines against your 20 total levels, then give up 3 levels of LC or 2 HF and 1 LC (6D).

?
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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #12 on: August 31, 2015, 02:25:11 PM »
Yes, Eldritch Glaive does exist, but I can understand the desire not to base balance around it.  It's pretty reasonable to say something like:
"I want to play a Warlock who shoots death beams at people.  Not one who primarily attacks in melee with a lightsaber-thing.  And I want that concept (not using EG) to be effective in combat."

That indeed may become broken if you combine it with EG, but in that case I'd say the fix is to change EG so it isn't a 4-5x multiplier instead of restricting high base damage.

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #13 on: December 02, 2015, 01:28:41 AM »
they most certainly DO count towards ecl. when they say they dont increase character level normally, BUT here are some benefits, its just a poorly worded "here's something bad, BUT here's something good"....what is meant is this: when u increase in character level, u go through a process of "leveling up" (described in the player's handbook on page 58) but when u take a level of bloodline, its different. no hd, no saves, no class features, etc. what happens is this: (before i explain, people should know that when u level up, your xp doesnt "reset" to 0. as u gain xp, u hit "checkpoints" so to speak. when u hit these "checkpoints", u "level up".) now, when a 2nd level character with a "bloodline" has gained enough xp to level up to a 3rd level character, they have to take a level of bloodline (assuming they havnt yet). IF the level of bloodline DIDNT count towards ecl, then you would have a rogue2/bloodline1 (or whatever2/bloodline1) with an ecl 2 but enough xp to level up. so, the whatever2/bloodline1 would then take the 3rd level of rogue (or whatever), and go through the process of leveling up (marking increases to hp, saves, bab, skills, etc). now, what this would look like is this: dm: "u need to take a level of bloodline now", and the player would say "ok" and then just take the 3rd level of rogue (or whatever), and mark down the benefit granted by the bloodline at character level 3. "taking a level of bloodline" would then be a process entirely composed of NOTHING! now, on page 19 of unearthed arcana, it explains what the penalties are for NOT taking a level of bloodline by the deadline given. there IS a downside to NOT taking the level on time, so, that means it's POSSIBLE to NOT take the level on time. so why wouldnt someone meet the deadline for taking the bloodline level? maybe their character REALLY needs another HD in order to keep surviving, who knows, but the point is this: bloodlines are NOT just "free benefits". they come at a cost. that cost is outlined in the first paragraph under the heading "bloodline levels" on page 19 of unearthed arcana. a static la ISNT ENOUGH. that's what it says. and these bloodline levels ARE worse, as they cant be reduced through la buyoff (natually, since they are levels, not level adjustments).

some people just cant accept the way things are. for example, all these people who think they can cast higher level spells with an illumian extra spell slot trick or whatever. theres this cool little sentence on page 8 of the player's handbook "....Intelligence score of 15, so she’s smart enough to get one bonus 1st level spell and one bonus 2nd-level spell. (She will not actually get the 2nd-level spell until she is 3rd level wizard, since that’s the minimum level a wizard must be to cast 2nd-level spells.)" now, heighten spell is in THAT book. so if u have a bonus 2nd level spell slot from a 15 int, and the feat heighten spell, can u heighten magic missile to 2nd level and cast it? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! END. OF. DISCUSSION. there is NO argument to that, and there is NO argument to the fact that bloodlines are NOT as cheap as level adjustments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Offline Gazzien

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Re: Bloodline Hellfire Warlock
« Reply #14 on: December 02, 2015, 08:48:03 PM »
they most certainly DO count towards ecl. when they say they dont increase character level normally, BUT here are some benefits, its just a poorly worded "here's something bad, BUT here's something good"....what is meant is this: when u increase in character level, u go through a process of "leveling up" (described in the player's handbook on page 58) but when u take a level of bloodline, its different. no hd, no saves, no class features, etc. what happens is this: (before i explain, people should know that when u level up, your xp doesnt "reset" to 0. as u gain xp, u hit "checkpoints" so to speak. when u hit these "checkpoints", u "level up".) now, when a 2nd level character with a "bloodline" has gained enough xp to level up to a 3rd level character, they have to take a level of bloodline (assuming they havnt yet). IF the level of bloodline DIDNT count towards ecl, then you would have a rogue2/bloodline1 (or whatever2/bloodline1) with an ecl 2 but enough xp to level up. so, the whatever2/bloodline1 would then take the 3rd level of rogue (or whatever), and go through the process of leveling up (marking increases to hp, saves, bab, skills, etc). now, what this would look like is this: dm: "u need to take a level of bloodline now", and the player would say "ok" and then just take the 3rd level of rogue (or whatever), and mark down the benefit granted by the bloodline at character level 3. "taking a level of bloodline" would then be a process entirely composed of NOTHING! now, on page 19 of unearthed arcana, it explains what the penalties are for NOT taking a level of bloodline by the deadline given. there IS a downside to NOT taking the level on time, so, that means it's POSSIBLE to NOT take the level on time. so why wouldnt someone meet the deadline for taking the bloodline level? maybe their character REALLY needs another HD in order to keep surviving, who knows, but the point is this: bloodlines are NOT just "free benefits". they come at a cost. that cost is outlined in the first paragraph under the heading "bloodline levels" on page 19 of unearthed arcana. a static la ISNT ENOUGH. that's what it says. and these bloodline levels ARE worse, as they cant be reduced through la buyoff (natually, since they are levels, not level adjustments).

some people just cant accept the way things are. for example, all these people who think they can cast higher level spells with an illumian extra spell slot trick or whatever. theres this cool little sentence on page 8 of the player's handbook "....Intelligence score of 15, so she’s smart enough to get one bonus 1st level spell and one bonus 2nd-level spell. (She will not actually get the 2nd-level spell until she is 3rd level wizard, since that’s the minimum level a wizard must be to cast 2nd-level spells.)" now, heighten spell is in THAT book. so if u have a bonus 2nd level spell slot from a 15 int, and the feat heighten spell, can u heighten magic missile to 2nd level and cast it? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! END. OF. DISCUSSION. there is NO argument to that, and there is NO argument to the fact that bloodlines are NOT as cheap as level adjustments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Holy wall of text, batman. I honestly have no idea what your point is.

You talk about bloodlines, and then heighten spell, and somewhere in there you're talking about your DM and you as a wizard/rogue? (Also: the thread's three months old. It's most likely resolved.)

You also really don't need that many exclamation points, and uh... maybe writing out "you" or proofreading your post might help...