Warlock Enhancements: Tainted Scholar

[Vargouille]

Here's our current design for the Tainted Scholar enhancements!

Tainted Scholars have learned a wider variety of spells than other Warlocks, and have extensively studied methods for enhancing Eldritch Blasts, such as Eldritch Essences for changing the damage type, or alternate active forms of Eldritch Blast, such as Eldritch Chains. They've got great damage output, especially when they critically hit. They have access to Confusion, which makes enemies indiscriminately attack friends and foe.



Core Abilities

• 1 AP, class level 1: Tainted Spellcasting:
  
  • Activate for 10 Depravity: +25 Universal Spell Power, +2 bonus to all Spell DCs. Lasts 20 seconds. 60 second cooldown.
  • You gain 1 Depravity each time you damage enemies with Eldritch Blast or spells (except with Positive Energy). You can gain 1 Depravity every 7 seconds. Each additional trained Tainted Scholar Core enhancement reduces this cooldown by 1 second, to a minimum of 2 seconds. You can have up to 10 Depravity, which disappears on rest, death or entering public spaces.
  • Passive: Each point spent in Tainted Scholar provides +0.75 Universal Spell Power.
  • Featherfall is added to your known Warlock Spells at level 1.
  
  
• 5 AP, class level 3: Tainted Lore:
  
  • +10% Spell Critical Damage, +1 to Warlock Spell DCs. (Spell Critical damage also applies to criticals with Eldritch Blast.) +10 maximum Depravity.
  • Web is added to your known Warlock Spells at level 2.
  
  
• 10 AP, class level 6: Stanch:
  
  • Activate for 7 Depravity: Gains temporary hitpoints equal to your 33% of your maximum hitpoints. These last for 1 minute. You have -3% maximum hitpoints until you rest, which stacks up to 99 times.
  • +10 maximum Depravity.
  • Crushing Despair is added to your known Warlock Spells at level 3.
  
  
• 20 AP, class level 12: Tainted Lore:
  
  • +20% Spell Critical Damage, +1 to Warlock Spell DCs.
  • +10 maximum Depravity.
  • Death Ward is added to your known Warlock Spells at level 4.
  
  
• 30 AP, class level 18: Blood Component:
  
  • Your Eldritch Blast attacks 10% faster.
  • +10 maximum Depravity.
  • -25 Maximum HP
  • Greater Heroism is added to your known Warlock Spells at level 5.
  
  
• 41 AP, class level 20: Heretical Lore:
  
  • Your Eldritch Blast deals +1d6 damage. +30% Spell Critical Damage. +4 Charisma
  • +10 maximum Depravity.
  • Energy Drain is added to your known Warlock Spells at level 6.

Tier One

1. Planar Power: +30/60/90 Spell Points
2. Feigned Health: When you cast spells on yourself or allies, you grant temporary hitpoints equal to (33%/66%/100%) of your Charisma.
3. Command SLA: Activate for 3/2/1 Depravity:
4. Strong Pact: Bonus Eldritch Blast damage from your Pact is increased by 1d4. This scales with spellpower, like all Eldritch Blast damage.
5. Eldritch Focus: +1/2/3 Spellcraft and Concentration. Rank 3: +1 Will Saves

Tier Two

1. "Unholy Blast" (name TBD): Eldritch Essence Stance: Your Eldritch Blast base damage is now Evil instead of Force.
   
   1. 1 rank 2 AP
   
   
2. Eldritch Chain: Eldritch Blast Shape Stance: When toggled on, your basic attack an Eldritch Blast that chains to two other enemies. This scales with 66% spellpower.
3. Stunning Blast: Activate for 7/5/3 Depravity: Attack one enemy with an Eldritch Blast that stuns your target for 12 seconds on a failed Fortitude saving throw.
4. Strong Pact: same as lower tier
5. Wand and Scroll Mastery: +[25/50/75]% to the effectiveness of your wands, scrolls, and other items that cast spells, and +[1/2/3] to the DCs of your offensive wands.

Tier Three

1. Faltering Blast: Eldritch Essence Stance: Your Eldritch Blast attacks have a 25% chance to slow enemy movement speed by 50% for 6 seconds.
   
   1. 1 rank 2 AP
   
   
2. Efficient Heighten:
3. Confusion: Activate for 3/2/1 Depravity: Target non-boss monster becomes Confused on a failed Will Saving throw.
   
   1. Confused monsters attack and are attacked by both monster characters and player characters.
   
   
4. Strong Pact: same as lower tier
5. CHA/INT

Tier Four

1. Penetrating Blast: Eldritch Essence Stance: Your Eldritch Blast base damage is now Piercing instead of Force. You deal +1d6 Eldritch Blast damage.
   
   1. 1 rank 2 AP
   
   
2. Enervating Shadow: Eldritch Blast Shape Stance: This Eldritch Blast auto-attack seeks out enemies, and inflicts a negative level 10% of the time.
3. Bewitching Blast: Your Eldritch Blast has a 10% chance to Confuse non-boss monsters for 6 seconds.
   
   1. Confused monsters attack and are attacked by both monster characters and player characters.
   
   
4. Strong Pact: same as lower tier
5. CHA/INT

Tier Five

1. Eldritch Power: Your Eldritch Blast deals +1d6 damage.
   
   1. 1 rank 2 AP
   
   
2. Eldritch Ball: Activate for 15/10/5 Depravity: Shoot a projectile at a distant enemy, exploding in an area, dealing Eldritch Blast damage.
3. Mass Confusion: Activate for 15/10/5 Depravity: A group of non-boss monsters each become Confused on a failed Will saving throw.
   
   1. Confused monsters attack and are attacked by both monster characters and player characters.
   
   
4. Planar Focus: +1 to all Spell DCs
   
   1. 1 rank 2 AP

As always, some of these are still tentative. Abilities or granted spells may change based on feedback and our ability to create new spells.

Thanks for your feedback!

[Blackheartox]

Isnt stanch a bit to strong?
Temp hit points based on current max?
Taken into account that its lv 6 core this can be easily abused.
To be honest, you shoul go with depravity mechanism and free slas based on depravity counter and unique spells with every warlock tree.
This one impressed me the most and seems okish even.

What is cd of stuning blast? And the dc of confusion?
How will confusion work with those spells?
Also, why command? Can you replace it by something more relevant?
Depravity system is great, just try to make better spells to use it

Do spell critical damage cores stack? I assume yes

[Vargouille]

Isnt stanch a bit to strong?
Temp hit points based on current max?
Taken into account that its lv 6 core this can be easily abused.

Perhaps. It's something that we can alter a % easily enough; should it be 50% of max? How much?

To be honest, you shoul go with depravity mechanism and free slas based on depravity counter and unique spells with every warlock tree.
This one impressed me the most and seems okish even.

What is cd of stuning blast? And the dc of confusion?
How will confusion work with those spells?
Also, why command? Can you replace it by something more relevant?
Depravity system is great, just try to make better spells to use it

Some of that is still in progress. DC of confusion is similar to a spell; it's tentatively a level 5 spell in the background (so 15 + Charisma mod + Enchant bonuses).

We welcome thoughts on balancing or ideas for other spells (both existing and otherwise, though obviously any particular new spell suggestion is less likely to happen out of all possibilities for new and old).

Command felt balanced as a moderately effective yet balanced tier 1 ability. Perhaps there are different opinions or perspectives I'm not understanding from this comment for what would be a better choice here.

[fmalfeas]

Command felt balanced as a moderately effective yet balanced tier 1 ability. Perhaps there are different opinions or perspectives I'm not understanding from this comment for what would be a better choice here.

If you're going for basically a 1st level CC type effect, the depravity/knowledge you really shouldn't have theme might be better supported with a different spell. Particularly since you're giving Command to the Fiend pact already. I suggest a renamed Faerie Fire. Maybe even call it the same as an old AD&D spell. Invisibility Purge. Or Unveil the Hidden. Particularly since Faerie Fire isn't already a granted/normally available spell.

[Lonnbeimnech]

Perhaps. It's something that we can alter a % easily enough; should it be 50% of max? How much?

Considering... https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...7447-HP-Buffed

How about 1/2 warlock level times heal skill.

[gwonbush]

Considering... https://www.ddo.com/forums/showthrea...7447-HP-Buffed

How about 1/2 warlock level times heal skill.

That's a fighter who gained every hp increase under the sun, including taking Toughness 11 times! A warlock is much more likely to run around closer to 800 hp at endgame, though it will vary depending on past lives. I think 50% max hp is actually rather reasonable, comparing favorably to Blood Tribute from Frenzied Berserker.

[Lonnbeimnech]

That's a fighter who gained every hp increase under the sun, including taking Toughness 11 times! A warlock is much more likely to run around closer to 800 hp at endgame, though it will vary depending on past lives. I think 50% max hp is actually rather reasonable, comparing favorably to Blood Tribute from Frenzied Berserker.

And a 14 fighter 6 warlock con based dorf that took toughness 11 times would be where? 6000hp?

half warlock level times heal skill would be around 800 hp by endgame for a pure warlock that invested in heal skill with heal slotted somewhere.

Another possibility would be double your positive spell power in temp hp.

[Rautis]

That's a fighter who gained every hp increase under the sun, including taking Toughness 11 times! A warlock is much more likely to run around closer to 800 hp at endgame, though it will vary depending on past lives. I think 50% max hp is actually rather reasonable, comparing favorably to Blood Tribute from Frenzied Berserker.

Yes, if the warlock is pure. But what hp could a 6 Warlock 14 Fighter or Paladin get? I'm not sure if the ability is strong enough to be worth the multiclass but considering that it's temp hp instead of healing I can see some uses for it. Maybe it should behave a bit like sorcerer/fvs double sp from items and temp hp granted is equal to (warlock levels/number of heroic levels)*Maximum hitpoints.

[Silverleafeon]

Perhaps. It's something that we can alter a % easily enough; should it be 50% of max? How much?

I would change it to this:

Activate for 1 Depravity: Gains temporary hitpoints equal to 25% your maximum hitpoints. These last for 1 minute. You have -1% maximum hitpoints until you rest, which stacks up to 99 times.

This would allow other uses of Depravity such as for:
Confusion 1 Depravity Cooldown 8 seconds
Mass Confusion 2 Depravity Cooldown 10 seconds
Eldritch Ball 3 Depravity Cooldown 10 seconds

30 AP, class level 18: Blood Component:

Your Eldritch Blast attacks 10% faster.
+10 maximum Depravity.
-25 Maximum HP
Greater Heroism is added to your known Warlock Spells at level 5.

Also concerning Greater Heroism, let us change that to:

Creeping Doom (Druid 7) is added to your known Warlock Spells at level 5.

Creeping Doom Conjuration Summons a cloud of voracious insects and unleashes them on your enemies. The insect cloud will slowly home on the target, and when it strikes insects will burst outward, affecting every enemy within the area of effect. Enemies hit by the insects take 2 to 20 poison damage, plus 1 to 10 per 3 caster levels, every 2 seconds for 16 seconds. A successful reflex save halves the damage.
Its very Warlock Invocation like several of their invocations are similar.
I know its damage, but honestly its rarely used by Druids.

[Blackheartox]

I know its damage, but honestly its rarely used by Druids.

And what makes you think it will be used from warlocks?
There is a reason its not used by druids

[Artagon]

And what makes you think it will be used from warlocks?
There is a reason its not used by druids

Just because it isn't used much doesn't mean it shouldn't be included for thematic reasons,

[Vargouille]

Do spell critical damage cores stack? I assume yes

Yes, like most Core abilities in trees all the bonuses stack.

[Ambitious]

Yes, like most Core abilities in trees all the bonuses stack.

So you're saying that they have a 60% spell crit chance without any items equipped?

2. Enervating Shadow: Eldritch Blast Shape Stance: This Eldritch Blast auto-attack seeks out enemies, and inflicts a negative level 10% of the time.

Is this some kind of 'homing' attack, that unlike the normal eldritch blast, can't miss the target?

[Ambitious]

I really like what I see here, except one thing. I was hoping for more AOE shapes. The other two trees get AOE aura and cone, which can effect a whole lot of mobs (probably both at 100% scaling). This tree gets the chain shape, that can arc only to 2 other mobs at 66% scaling. Doesn't look right to me.

[Maelodic]

So you're saying that they have a 60% spell crit chance without any items equipped?

What is says there is Spell Critical Damage, not spell critical chance. Meaning all your spell crits are going to hit like trucks. Be sure to twist in Energy Burst! =P

[legendkilleroll]

So you're saying that they have a 60% spell crit chance without any items equipped?

Not crit chance, Critical damage.

[HatsuharuZ]

I like most of what I see. Good job! There are a few issues that worry me though:

1) Warlocks gain .75 spellpower per point spent in the tree. I'm worried that this won't be enough since Warlocks are a charisma-based class (as opposed to INT) and Eldritch Blast and it's derivatives may not get full benefit from spellpower.

2) I feel that Enervating Shadow's chance of dealing a negative level should increase somehow, or that the chance of a neg level should scale with Warlock level. One negative level does not do well in epics when Epic Ward is active.

[Delacroix21]

Varg, two questions=

1. I dont see any +spell crit chance like all the other caster trees, can 2% force spell crit per tier be added?


2. Will eldritch blast always go off force spell crit? Or will you have to equip a negative energy lore item when using unholy blast etc.?

[WanderingGrump]

Why is the Heighten Metamagic reduction included here at all really. Consider that Warlock is restricted to having just level 6 spells that seems to be quite the trap when on the few spells that you want it you will get extremely minimal DC raises. I understand the desire for the CC ability of the Command SLA but even on a Pure FvS a heightened Command is poorly suited for use after level 15ish and utterly useless in epics.

Or is there something I am not seeing here?

[fmalfeas]

I don't know what the cooldown on it is, but I have to point out for people that Eldritch Ball isn't set as a blast shape, but rather, a clickie. So during that moment between Eldritch Chains firing off, you can hit the button, and fireball the targets too.