Using Warlock as a Bag of Tricks?

[Opustus]

I was thinking of ways to use the Warlock class and came up with a few builds that would use the class more as a bag of tricks than a full-bore Eldritch blast cannon. I would like to hear your thoughts and also if you've experimented with the class in other ways.

The two ideas I have are based on Arcane Archer: Warlock/AA/BG and Warlock/AA/Shadowdancer. They both are doable with any pact, but the pact of choice does affect the level spread slightly.

A sprinkle of Fey: With Fey, I would opt for 12 levels for Haste spam, Displacement and Mage Armor. I cannot think of a single offensive spell I would find useful from the list, so I suppose the Eldritch damage would go to waste.

Demon/Devil: Level 9 for Darkness or level 11 if Ultravision is rare to come by as a scroll, wand or off an item. Level 10 for the BG variant to bag that schweet Uncanny Dodge. Balagarn's and Grease could be availed for Mortar Fire while you'd strife backwards to keep your enemies at bay.

So, what do you think? Would it be better just to stick to Bard and get the best of both worlds for limited periods of time?

[Meliboeus]

I always thought Fiendlock 12 / Fighter 5 / Rogue 13 would be fun. Sub-optimal but fun.

[Opustus]

Most def. I guess the Eldritch damage is rounded down, not up? Meaning level 11/2 = 5 and not 6?

[One Two Three Five]

Bards generally make better AAs here, rather than warlock. They're certainly more accepted on the surface, than warlocks.

Warlocks generally thrive with as many warlock levels as possible. There's an 'optimale' warlock listed somewhere but you're best bet is 30 levels of warlock and spell focuses, if you want to be a warlock at all. Multiclass warlocks similarly benefit more from as many levels as possible. 25+, generally.

There used to be some half-way decent Favored Soul archer setups, I think, but you can't make those anymore.

[Opustus]

Naturally by going Warlock one has to roll with the punches, but that's the sweet nectar of the class, methinks. And I'm well aware that going full Warlock may be more optimal, but I was curious if other people have experimented with Warlocks as essentially trickbags. I can see some potential in being able to spam spells like Darkness, Balagarn's and Grease ad infinitum as an AA.

[One Two Three Five]

Well, true, but do keep in mind: Wands and scrolls and potions are actually fairly plentiful, since- I'd say most casters- take them for an income source, so darkness, UV, grease, etc aren't hard to come by. Nor is freedom of movement, really.

I can see it working, in the 'this wont be the worst thing ever' sense, as the warlock chassis is fairly robust, but you may genuinely be better off using Bard, if only for the song, especially with the new harps.

[WanderingPoet]

Feylock would be better at it I think - Cloud of Bewilderment is great for keeping enemies stunned/blind and thus low dex, ghostly visage works well with DR for quite a few levels, unlimited haste with AA attacks is excellent for maintain high damage and Expeditious retreat is great low level for kiting enemies and of course a hasted invis for a pseudo-HIPS - so 12 minimum. Going to 16 would be nice for Energy Buffer which with Ghostly visage gives you a solid amount of damage reduction against most incidental damage. 17 would give you a shadow to tank for you.

From there, 13 AA to up your raw arrow damage. You could swap 3 AA (or 2 AA and 1 feylock) for paladin/BG for extra saves and turn undead for divine might which with eagles splendor would be a decent amount of damage (+5 at least), though it costs you 2 damage/ab at all times to get it so you'd probably want at least a buffed 26 cha. Cleric could substitute and get divine shield and divine might but no saves, and harper paragon would need 5 levels to get divine might.

[Peppermint]

The danger with these kinds of builds is that you become dispel bait. Not only will virtually any dispel strip all of your warlock buffs (forcing you to reapply them all), but as a caster, you no longer use your total hit dice as your caster level with respect to dispels for counsumables; you use the actual caster level of the consumable instead.