Warlock

Warlocks channel arcane might wrested from primeval entities. They commune with infernal intelligences and fey spirits, scour enemies with potent blasts of eldritch power, and bedevil foes with hexing curses. Armed with esoteric secrets and dangerous lore, warlocks are clever and resourceful foes.

However you came to your arcane knowledge, you need not accept the poor reputation warlocks sometimes endure. You could be a libram-toting scholar captivated by ominous lore, a foot-loose wanderer searching for elusive ultimate truths, a devil-touched hunter using infernal spells to eliminate evil, or even a black-clad mercenary who uses sinister trappings to discourage prying strangers and unwanted attention. On the other hand, you could be a true diabolist using your gifts to tyrannize the weak—some warlocks unfortunately are exactly that.

The pacts are complete. The rites have concluded. The signs are drawn in blood, and the seals are broken. Your destiny beckons.

Class Traits

Role: Striker. Your attack powers are highly damaging and often weaken or hamper the target in some way. You can elude attacks by flying, teleporting, or turning invisible.
Power Source: Arcane. You gain your magical power from a pact you forge with a powerful, supernatural force or an unnamed entity.
Key Abilities: Charisma, Constitution, Intelligence

Armor Proficiencies: Leather, cloth.
Weapon Proficiencies: Simple melee, simple ranged.
Implement: Rods, wands
Bonus to Defense: +1 Reflex, +1 Will.

Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution Score.
Hit Points per Level Gained: 5
Healing Surges per Day: 6 + Constitution Modifier.

Trained Skills: From the class skills list below, choose 4 trained skills at 1st level.
Class Skills: Arcana (Int), Bluff (Cha), History (Int), Insight (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Religion (Int), Streetwise (Cha), Thievery (Dex).

Build Options: Deceptive Warlock, Scourge Warlock.
Class Features: Eldritch Blast, Eldritch Pact, Prime Shot, Shadow Walk, Warlock's Curse.

Creating a Warlock

The two basic builds of warlock are the deceptive warlock and the scourge warlock. Warlocks rely on Charisma, Constitution, and Intelligence. No warlock powers or class features depend on Strength, Dexterity, or Wisdom.

Deceptive Warlock

You prefer spells that deal a little less damage, but that inflict a variety of penalties and negative conditions on your foe. You’d rather fight at range and avoid getting caught in close-up battles. Most of your attack powers depend on Charisma, so that should be your best score. Many of your powers receive a bonus if you have a good Intelligence score, so that should be your second-best score. Constitution should be your third choice since you might want to choose some Constitution-based powers. You need it for a good Fortitude defense anyway.

Deceptive warlocks should choose the fey pact or the star pact (see "Class Features").

Feat: Improved Misty Step (Human feat: Human Perseverance)
Skills: Arcana, Bluff, Insight, Thievery
At-Will Powers: eldritch blast, eyebite
Encounter Power: witchfire
Daily Power: curse of the dark dream

Scourge Warlock

No subtlety here—you want to deal damage. You’re tougher than the deceptive warlock, and you’ve got powers to help you attack and defend in melee, as well as excellent ranged attacks. Your best attack powers depend on Constitution—make that your best ability score. Choose Intelligence second because it provides special bonuses to many of your powers and improves your Reflex defense and AC, too. Charisma is clearly your third choice.

Scourge warlocks should choose the infernal pact or the star pact (see "Class Features").

Feat: Improved Dark One’s Blessing (Human feat: Action Surge)
Skills: Arcana, History, Intimidate, Streetwise
At-Will Powers: eldritch blast, hellish rebuke
Encounter Power: vampiric embrace
Daily Power: flames of Phlegethos

Warlock Class Features

You have the following class features.

Eldritch Blast

All warlocks know the eldritch blast at-will power. This power can be used as a basic attack. You gain this power as well as another at-will power as determined by your Eldritch Pact.

Eldritch Pact

You have forged a pact with mysterious entities that grant you your arcane powers. Choose one of the following pacts: fey pact, infernal pact, or star pact. The pact you choose determines the following warlock abilities:

At-Will Spells: Your pact determines one of the at-will spells you know.
Pact Boon: Each pact includes a pact boon. The pact boon is a granted power you can use to further hex your enemies.

The pact you take also provides bonuses to certain warlock powers. Individual powers detail the effects (if any) your Eldritch Pact selection has on them.

Fey Pact

You have forged a bargain with ancient, amoral powers of the Feywild. Some are primitive earth spirits, grim and menacing; some are capricious wood, sky, or water spirits; and others are incarnations of seasons or natural forces who roam the faerie realm like wild gods. They bestow magic that ranges from feral and savage to wondrous and enchanting.

Eyebite: You know the eyebite spell.
Misty Step: You have the Misty Step pact boon. You instantly transform into silver mist that streams a short distance and reforms, allowing you to flee or maneuver to set up a deadly attack.

When an enemy under your Warlock's Curse is reduced to 0 hit points or fewer, you can immediately teleport 3 squares as a free action.

Infernal Pact

Long ago a forgotten race of devils created a secret path to power and taught it to the tieflings of old to weaken their fealty to Asmodeus. In his wrath, Asmodeus destroyed the scheming devils and struck their very names from the memory of all beings—but you dare to study their perilous secrets anyway.

Hellish Rebuke: You know the hellish rebuke spell.
Dark One's Blessing: You have the Dark One’s Blessing pact boon. You instantly gain vitality from a cursed enemy when that enemy falls.

When an enemy under your Warlock's Curse is reduced to 0 hit points or fewer, you immediately gain temporary hit points equal to your level.

Star Pact

You have mastered the astrologer’s art, learning the secret names of the stars and gazing into the Far Realm beyond, gaining great power thereby. You can call upon powers that madden or terrify your enemies, manipulate chance and fate, or scour your foes with icy banes and curses drawn from beyond the night sky.

Dire Radiance: You know the dire radiance spell.
Fate of the Void: You have the Fate of the Void pact boon. Your curse intermingles with the lost vitality of a cursed enemy to reveal a glimpse of the future to you.

When an enemy under your Warlock's Curse is reduced to 0 hit points or fewer, you gain a +1 bonus to any single d20 roll you make during your next turn (attack roll, saving throw, skill check, or ability check). If you don’t use this bonus by the end of your turn, it is lost.

This bonus is cumulative; if three cursed enemies drop to 0 hit points or fewer before your next turn, you gain a +3 bonus to a d20 roll during your turn.

Prime Shot

If none of your allies are nearer to your target than you are, you receive a +1 bonus to ranged attack rolls against that target.

Shadow Walk

On your turn, if you move at least 3 squares away from where you started your turn, you gain concealment until the end of your next turn.

Warlock's Curse

Level Warlock's Curse
Extra Damage
1st–10th +1d6
11th–20th +2d6
21st–30th +3d6
Once per turn as a minor action, you can place a Warlock's Curse on the enemy nearest to you that you can see. A cursed enemy is more vulnerable to your attacks. If you hit a cursed enemy with an attack, you deal extra damage. You decide whether to apply the extra damage after making the damage roll. You can deal this extra damage once per round, so if you have dealt Warlock's Curse damage since the start of your turn, you cannot deal it again until the start of your next turn.

A Warlock's Curse remains in effect until the end of the encounter or until the cursed enemy is defeated.

You can place a Warlock's Curse on multiple targets over the course of an encounter; each curse requires the use of a minor action. You can't place a Warlock's Curse on a creature that is already affected by your or another character’s Warlock's Curse.

As you advance in level, your extra damage increases.

Implements

Warlocks make use of rods and wands to help channel and direct their arcane powers. A warlock wielding a magic rod or wand can add its enhancement bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls of warlock powers, as well as warlock paragon path powers, that have the implement keyword. Without a rod or a wand, a warlock can still use these powers, but he or she doesn’t gain the bonus provided by the magic implement.A pact blade, a special magic dagger, can also be used as an implement for warlock powers, as well as warlock paragon powers. These daggers are highly sought after by warlocks.

Character Classes
Player's Handbook ClericFighterPaladinRangerRogueWarlockWarlordWizard
Player's Handbook 2 AvengerBarbarianBardDruidInvokerShamanSorcererWarden
Player's Handbook 3 ArdentBattlemindMonkPsionRunepriestSeeker
Setting-Specific Artificer (Eberron Player's Guide) ✦ Swordmage (Forgotten Realms Player's Guide)
Character Classes

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