The Warlock is almost exclusively a Striker. Their invocations can allow them to fill some other roles, but their skill list is very limited, and doing anything but Eldritch Blast requires considerably investment. Because they are primarily arcane, the Warlock typically takes the place of a Wizard in the party. Depending on their choice of invocations, the Warlock may be able to function as a Face or a Scout, but they can’t fully fill either role because they lack Diplomacy and Trapfinding.
Eldritch Glaive allows the Warlock to step into melee, but that option is niche enough that I will not cover it in depth in this guide.
Table of Contents
- Disclaimer
- Warlock Class Features
- Alternate Class Features
- Abilities
- Races
- Non-Core Races
- Skills
- Feats
Disclaimer
RPGBOT uses the color coding scheme which has become common among Pathfinder build handbooks, which tend to be more consistent than 3.5 handbooks. Because so little of 3.5 is available on the SRD, I will attempt to tag items with a superscript indicating their book of origin. For help identifying sourcebook abbreviations, see mySourcebook Abbreviations Guide.
- Red: Bad, useless options, or options whichare extremely situational. Nearly never useful.
- Orange: OK options, or useful optionsthat only apply in rare circ*mstances. Useful sometimes.
- Green: Good options. Useful often.
- Blue: Fantastic options, often essentialto the function of your character. Useful very frequently.
It’s important to note that I generally omit campaign-setting specific content. I am of the opinion that those options are intended to be limited to campaigns run in those settings, and as such they don’t really apply to a generic campaign. Those options also tend to be wildly unbalanced and rarely receive errata. I also omit the use of “Flaws” since they allow a massive increase in power with essentially no cost to the character.
Warlock Class Features
Hit Points: d6 hp is better than sorcerersand wizards, and with light armor the Warlock is considerably more durable.However, if you choose to step into melee you will have some problems.
Base Attack Bonus: 3/4 BAB is good for aspellcaster, and it will give you a decent bonus with Eldritch Blast.
Saves: Will is the Warlock’s only goodsave, so be sure to invest in Dexterity and Constitution to boost your badsaves. Dark One’s blessing lets you add Charisma to one of your saves, and thebonus can be very nice if you have room in your build.
Proficiencies: Simple weapons is a nicetouch, but completely useless. The ability to use light armor without messingup invocations gives you a nice boost to AC.
Skills: 2+ skill ranks, and a reallyfrustrating skill list. With Bluff, Intimidate, and Sense Motive you canalmost be a Face. With Knowledge (Arcana), (Religion), and (ThePlanes) you can almost be a Librarian. The Warlock can do quite a bitwith UMD, so it’s essentially required, leaving you with only one or two skillpoints to throw around.
Invocations: They’re not quite as good asspells, but Warlock Invocations can do a lot of very cool things. For helpselecting invocations, see myWarlock Invocations Breakdown.
Eldritch Blast (Sp): The Warlock’s go-tooption, the vast majority of your turns will involve using Eldritch Blast.Make sure to pick up at least one Essence invocatin and some Shape invocationsto improve Eldritch blast’s versatility.
Detect Magic (Sp): Arguably the bestcantrip, and you can use it at will.
Damage Reduction (Su): Not particularlyuseful on a ranged character, but nice to have.
Deceive Item (Ex): Makes you considerablymore effective with UMD, and allows you to stop investing ranks after you hita +24 bonus.
Fiendish Resilience (Su): At 8th level,this is essentially two charges from a wand of Lesser Vigor, amounting toroughly 15gp a day. At 15th level the fast healing improves to 2 (30gp worthof wand per day), and at 18th level it improves to 5 (75gp worth of wand perday). This is basically worthless. You might be tempted to use this in combat,but wasting a Standard action on this would be a huge mistake.
Energy Resistance (Su): Energy resistanceis always nice. Pick Fire and Cold, as those are the two most common types ofenergy damage, and resistance to them makes you immune to the effects ofhot/cold temperatures.
Imbue Item (Su): Amusing, but you stillneed to spend feats to craft items.
Alternate Class Features
- Fiendish FlamewreathPHB2: Fiendish Resilience is mediocre at best, but it’s guaranteed freehealing. This is situational, but because it’s a free action it’s easy touse without cutting into your action economy. For melee warlocks, this is afantastic option.
- Venomous BloodDotU: The +5 bonus to saves against poison is nice at high levels when poisonbecomes common. Applying poison when you are bitten or swallowed issituational. The high level ability to apply a poison to your Eldritch Blastas a move action is very cool.
Abilities
The Warlock’s abilities are fairly easy. Even at low point buy, you can get plenty in all of the Warlock’s essential abilities to be effective.
Str: Unlessyou’re building for Eldritch Glaive, dump this.
Dex: Reflex saves, AC, and touch attackswith Eldritch Blast.
Con: Hit points and Fortitude saves.
Int: Only important for skill points.
Wis: Helpful for Will saves, but you don’tneed much.
Cha: SetsDCs for your invocations, and adds to UMD. If you don’t need UMD and don’tplan to use invocations which directly target enemies, you may not need anyCharisma at all.
Races
Because Fell Flight depends on your base land speed, races with 20 foot speedcan be troublesome. Small size is nice for the AC and attack bonuses, buttypically comes with 20 foot speed.
Dwarf: The penalty to Charisma islimiting, but Dwarves get a lot of very useful bonuses.
Elf: The Dexterity bonus is nice forEldritch Blast, but Warlocks really can’t make use of the Elf’s otherabilities.
Gnome: Small size, and a constitutionbonus, but the Gnome’s other abilities are largely wasted..
Half-Elf: Worthless.
Half-Orc: Nothing good for the Warlock.
Halfling: Small size and a dexteritybonus.
Human: A bonus feat is always welcome, andthe bonus skill ranks are great to help compensate for the Warlock’s poorskill points.
Non-Core Races
Because Warlocks depend so heavily on their class level for invocations andEldritch Blast damage, be very careful to avoid races with leveladjustments unless your DM allows you to use the level adjustment buyoffrules.
SpellscaleRotD: One of very few races with a Charisma bonus. The draconic rituals can getyou some interesting bonuses, too.
Strongheart Halfling: All of the best parts of theHalfling, but a bonus feat instead of the racial bonus to all saves.
Skills
- Bluff (Cha): Essential if you plan toplay a Face.
- Concentration (Con): You can concentrateto cast a spell-like ability defensively, just as you do with a spell, butit’s generally a much better idea to move out of reach. There are a handfulof invocations which require concentration (and could therefore beinterrupted), but they’re terrible.
- Disguise (Cha): Buy a Hat of Disguise.
- Intimidate (Cha): Essential if you planto play a Face.
- Jump (Str): You can fly.
- Knowledge (arcana) (Int): One of the mostimportant Knowledge skills.
- Knowledge (the planes) (Int): One of themost important Knowledge skills.
- Knowledge (religion) (Int): One of themost important Knowledge skills.
- Sense Motive (Wis): Helpful if you planto play a Face.
- Spellcraft (Int): Essential foridentifying spells and magic items.
- Use Magic Device (Cha): Arguably the mostpowerful skill in the game. Allows you to do all sorts of crazy things withwands.
Feats
- ApprenticeDMG2: Depending on your choice of Mentor, you can gain some extra class skillsto improve the Warlock’s viability as a Face or a Librarian.
- Arcane MasteryCAr: Spell Resistance can really shut down a Warlock, so the ability toreliable overcome spell resistance can be very helpful. Typically enemieswill have spell resistance somewhere around 8+CR, which means that ArcaneMastery allows you to constantly overcome the SR of any enemy up to 2 CR’sabove your level.
- Battle CasterCAr: Upgrading to a Breastplate is essentially a +1 to AC. You can doconsiderably better with a feat.
- Empower Spell-Like AbilityCAr: Maximize Spell-Like Ability is a much better return on investment.
- Extra InvocationCAr: Warlocks get a total of 12 invocations over 20 levels, which is notnearly enough to get all of the good options. Be sure to compare the cost ofa feat to the cost of a Rod of Eldritch Power for whatever invocation youplan to take.
- Infernal AdeptWeb: High level Warlocks can get least and lesser Dragonfire Adeptinvocations. Many of the options are duplicates, and most aren’t great, butthere are a few gems. For help selecting invocations, see myWarlock Invocations Breakdown, which includes information on available Dragonfire Adept Invocations.
- Improved CriticalPHB: It only increases your threat range by 1, but a critical hit withEldritch Blast is a very scary prospect.
- Improved InitiativePHB: Not quite as important for Warlocks as it is for normal spellcasters, butgoing first can let you drop area control invocations to influence thebattlefield or disable key enemies.
- Maximize Spell-Like AbilityCAr: Maximize your Eldritch Blast damage 3/day.
- MortalbaneBoVD: Add +2d6 damage to a spell-like ability (like Eldritch Blast) 5/day.Surprisingly does not require you to be evil.
- Nymph’s KissBoED: Bonus skill points, +1 on saves against spells and spell-like abilities,and a +2 bonus on all Charisma-related checks. This includes skill checksand ability checks, but the definition of “check” in the PHB specificallymentions that attacks and saving throws are not checks. Requires you to begood-aligned.
- Plunging ShotRotW: +1d6 damage if you’re above your target. If you have fell flight, it’svery easy to always be above your targets.
- Psionic FocusEPH: Become psionically focuses as a move action so that you can use PsionicBlast.
- Obtain FamiliarCAr: Familiars are fantastic, and can do a lot. For help with familiars, seemyPractical Guide to Familiars.
- Improved FamiliarVarious: With 2/3 BAB the Warlock can have a decent combat familiar, but afamiliar which can use magic items is likely more effective. ManyImproved Familiar options are absolutely fantastic. For help withfamiliars, see myPractical Guide to Familiars
- Quicken Spell-like AbilityMM: An unmodified Eldritch Blast is a 1st-level spell-like ability, so youcan quicken it at level 10. 3 extra rays per day as swift actions is a nicebit of extra damage.
- Point-Blank ShotPHB: +1 to attack and damage won’t amount to much.
- Precise ShotPHB: Ranged touch attacks are reliable enough that you can typically livewith the -4 penalty to fire into melee.
- Improved Precise ShotPHB: Cover won’t matter much, but the ability to ignore concealment isnice. Of course, you can just use Eldritch Cone/Line and skip theattack roll altogether.
- Psionic ShotEPH: Requires expending your psionic focus (see Psionic Meditation), butadds 2d6 damage to your Elritch Blast. Won’t work with the AOE shapeeffects because those aren’t attacks.
- Greater Psionic ShotEPH: Improve Pisonic SHot from 2d6 to 4d6 bonus damage.
- Precise ShotPHB: Ranged touch attacks are reliable enough that you can typically livewith the -4 penalty to fire into melee.
- Spell PenetrationPHB: Spell resistance becomes very common at high levels, but Arcane Masteryis more reliable.
- Spell PenetrationPHB: Arcane Master and Spell Penetration should allow you to alwaysovercome the SR of any enemy you could expect to encounter.
Weapons
A warlock never needs a weapon. At range Warlocks use Eldritch Blast. Therare melee Warlock uses Eldritch Glaive, which provides a weapon.
Armor
Armor is presented in the order in which you should acquire it, rather thanalphabetical order.
Magic Items
Rings
Rings
Wondrous Items
Permanent Spells
Multiclassing and Prestige Classes
Make sure to read the “Warlocks and Prestige Classes” section of the classdescription. This allows Warlocks to capitalize on many prestige classesgenerally not intended for Warlocks.
