PDK Pure Warlock

[Skavenaps]

Hello All,

This build is nothing new, even original. Just using the OP tool warlock give to us.

I'm building a melee/casting ES Lock. The idea is to us 1 hand weap + orb with the SWF feats for melee + aura + spells to instakill or nuke. Both dmg should be decent, as CHA is been applied to hit and dmg thanks to PDK.

I will like to have some feedback from who ever played a similar build.

-What weapon you will use? LGS radiance?
-Its worth to feat for Bastard instead of Long sword for extra pew pew? What feat you will drop?

thanks for any answer so far.


lockPDK
Warlock 20
True Neutral Purple Dragon Knight


Stats
36pt Tome Level Up
---- ---- --------
Strength 10 +4 4: CHA
Dexterity 8 +4 8: CHA
Constitution 18 +4 12: CHA
Intelligence 10 +4 16: CHA
Wisdom 8 +4 20: CHA
Charisma 18 +4 24: CHA
28: CHA

Skills
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
------------------------------------------------------------
Spellcr 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23
UMD 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 23
Intim 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 21
Balance 2 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 11
------------------------------------------------------------
12 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 5


Feats

1 : Single Weapon Fighting
1 PDK : Empower Spell
1 Warlock: Pact: Fiend
3 : Completionist
6 : Maximize Spell
9 : Quicken Spell
12 : Improved Single Weapon Fighting
15 : Spell Focus: Necromancy
18 : Greater Single Weapon Fighting
21 Epic : Wellspring of Power
24 Epic : Intensify Spell
26 Destiny: Epic Arcane Eldritch Blast
27 Epic : Ruin
28 Destiny: Hellball
29 Destiny: Arcane Warrior
30 Epic : Greater Ruin
30 Legend : Scion of: Plane of Fire


Spells
Jump, Grease, Command
Dispel Magic, Invisibility, Rage
Dimension Door, Charm Monster, Fire Shield
Teleport, Evard's Black Tentacles, Binding Chain
Finger of Death, Circle of Death, Power Word: Blind
Wail of the Banshee, Mass Hold Monster, Howl of Terror

Enhancements (80 AP)

Enlightened Spirit (43 AP) Eldritch Aura, Aura of Courage, Shape Vestments, Aura of Menace, Celestial Spirit, Ultimate Enlightenment Resilience of Body I, Spiritual Defense III
Spiritual Bastion III, Power of Enlightenment III, Shield
Eldritch Burst III, Spiritual Ward III, Charisma
Medium Armor Proficiency, Spiritual Retribution III, Brilliance, Charisma
Spirit Blast III, Beacon, Shining Through, Displacement
Tainted Scholar (28 AP) Tainted Spellcasting, Tainted Lore, Stanch, Tainted Lore II Planar Power III, Strong Pact
Utterdark Blast, Eldritch Chain Shape, Stunning Blast III, Strong Pact
Faltering Blast, Strong Pact, Charisma
Strong Pact, Charisma
Soul Eater (6 AP) Inhuman Understanding, Inhuman Nature Consume, Hungry for Destruction II
Purple Dragon Knight (3 AP) Spell Power Boost Cormyrean Knight Training

Destiny (24 AP)

Exalted Angel Radiant Power III, Charisma
Soundburst I, Charisma
Piercing Spellcraft III, Purity of Essence I, Charisma
Blood and Radiance III, Charisma
Leap of Faith
Divine Wrath, Reborn in Light

[Blastyswa]

Hello All,

This build is nothing new, even original. Just using the OP tool warlock give to us.

I'm building a melee/casting ES Lock. The idea is to us 1 hand weap + orb with the SWF feats for melee + aura + spells to instakill or nuke. Both dmg should be decent, as CHA is been applied to hit and dmg thanks to PDK.

I will like to have some feedback from who ever played a similar build.

-What weapon you will use? LGS radiance?
-Its worth to feat for Bastard instead of Long sword for extra pew pew? What feat you will drop?

thanks for any answer so far.


I've done similar versions to this on my own warlock by occasionally swapping to melee damage feats on an ETR and playing through dreadnought for a martial EPL. While it can work, I'd definitely say you shouldn't be expecting fantastic results, even with cha for damage and 90+ charisma, because you're still missing class enhancements like +1 threat range/+1 crit multiplier or extra base damage/MP. You'll still be able to swing at stuff and hit it for some damage, but with pure warlock levels, and especially with exalted angel as your destiny instead of Divine Crusader or Legendary Dreadnought, you won't be outputting fantastic melee damage. You'll also see some issues with trying to gear out this build with not being able to maximize caster damage gear, melee damage gear, and survival gear.

Your starting stat setup is going to be pretty painful on saves. Even with full saves gear and stats in the 50-60 range for my stats that alter saving throws, I'm personally sitting at around 60-70 to all saves. That's with 3x PL brace and everything else i can think of except a Slavers Endurance set. If you're starting dexterity and wisdom at 8, and not taking Force of Personality or Insightful Reflexes (Which I get isn't feasible with the tight feats on your build) you'll have frequent problems with failing saves. For your skills, you can safely drop a little UMD if you wanted to max out intimidate, or to pick up something else. At level 30 you're looking at:
10 epic levels
10 Deceive Item Warlock
35 Charisma (Assuming you have 80 Charisma, realistically you could get higher but this is a safe bet for what you'll at least have)
2 Guild Bonus
2 Luck Bonus (Augment)
59 UMD

That doesn't even include things like scrolling/clickying GH or extra items, and you're already at 59 UMD, which, unless I'm misinformed, is the highest UMD required to cast the absolute most difficult scroll in the game. You'll still have enough UMD as well to cast Greater Restoration or Resurrection while with some neg levels or death penalties. The ranks just don't do a whole lot for a charisma based build.

For your weapons, I do think LGS radiance is probably the best bet. I'd go Combustion/Insightful Charisma/Combustion if I were you for +187 fire spellpower and an easy slotting of charisma. For your orb Golden Orb of Death is definitely the best bet, although you could use something else until you get it. Chances are also that the issue you're going to get into is that you'll be hitting much more damage with your blasts/hellball/ruins than melee combat. With cycling blast-burst-hellball-ruin-gruin-consume-evard's-CC-instakills-Shining Through-Divine Wrath all the time, you really aren't going to be swinging a whole lot.

I wouldn't drop anything for bastard sword proficiency. In theory I'd drop the entire SWF line and focus on casting, but I get that it's a flavor thing so that's not really an option.

[Skavenaps]

I've done similar versions to this on my own warlock by occasionally swapping to melee damage feats on an ETR and playing through dreadnought for a martial EPL. While it can work, I'd definitely say you shouldn't be expecting fantastic results, even with cha for damage and 90+ charisma, because you're still missing class enhancements like +1 threat range/+1 crit multiplier or extra base damage/MP. You'll still be able to swing at stuff and hit it for some damage, but with pure warlock levels, and especially with exalted angel as your destiny instead of Divine Crusader or Legendary Dreadnought, you won't be outputting fantastic melee damage. You'll also see some issues with trying to gear out this build with not being able to maximize caster damage gear, melee damage gear, and survival gear.

Your starting stat setup is going to be pretty painful on saves. Even with full saves gear and stats in the 50-60 range for my stats that alter saving throws, I'm personally sitting at around 60-70 to all saves. That's with 3x PL brace and everything else i can think of except a Slavers Endurance set. If you're starting dexterity and wisdom at 8, and not taking Force of Personality or Insightful Reflexes (Which I get isn't feasible with the tight feats on your build) you'll have frequent problems with failing saves. For your skills, you can safely drop a little UMD if you wanted to max out intimidate, or to pick up something else. At level 30 you're looking at:
10 epic levels
10 Deceive Item Warlock
35 Charisma (Assuming you have 80 Charisma, realistically you could get higher but this is a safe bet for what you'll at least have)
2 Guild Bonus
2 Luck Bonus (Augment)
59 UMD

That doesn't even include things like scrolling/clickying GH or extra items, and you're already at 59 UMD, which, unless I'm misinformed, is the highest UMD required to cast the absolute most difficult scroll in the game. You'll still have enough UMD as well to cast Greater Restoration or Resurrection while with some neg levels or death penalties. The ranks just don't do a whole lot for a charisma based build.

For your weapons, I do think LGS radiance is probably the best bet. I'd go Combustion/Insightful Charisma/Combustion if I were you for +187 fire spellpower and an easy slotting of charisma. For your orb Golden Orb of Death is definitely the best bet, although you could use something else until you get it. Chances are also that the issue you're going to get into is that you'll be hitting much more damage with your blasts/hellball/ruins than melee combat. With cycling blast-burst-hellball-ruin-gruin-consume-evard's-CC-instakills-Shining Through-Divine Wrath all the time, you really aren't going to be swinging a whole lot.

I wouldn't drop anything for bastard sword proficiency. In theory I'd drop the entire SWF line and focus on casting, but I get that it's a flavor thing so that's not really an option.

Thanks for the long and insightful answer. It helped me a lot.

[Theolin]

Don't know how successful your necro will be not sure that one feat is worth it, but depends on what difficulty and gear you have as well

I went conj due to past life help to bump the DCs up enough to be mostly useful

[Skavenaps]

Don't know how successful your necro will be not sure that one feat is worth it, but depends on what difficulty and gear you have as well

I went conj due to past life help to bump the DCs up enough to be mostly useful

Feat is there to slot the magister twist. It needs the SP feat.