Warlock



Obsidian has confirmed that the Warlock base class will be included in NWN2.

DnD 3.5 Warlock
Description: Born of a supernatural bloodline, a warlock seeks to master the perilous magic that suffuses his soul. Unlike sorcerers and wizards, who approach arcane magic through the medium of spells, a warlock invokes powerful magic through nothing more than an effort of will. By harnessing his innate magical gift through fearsome determination and willpower, a warlock can perform feats of supernatural stealth, beguile the weak-minded, or scour his foes with blasts of eldritch power.

Alignment restrictions: Any evil or any chaotic

Additional progressions


Armor restrictions
Because the somatic components required for warlock invocations are relatively simple, a warlock can use any of his invocations while wearing light armor without incurring the normal arcane spell failure chance. However, like arcane spellcasters, a warlock wearing medium or heavy armor or using a shield incurs a chance of arcane spell failure (all invocations, including eldritch blast, have a somatic component). A multiclass warlock still incurs the normal arcane spell failure chance for arcane spells received from levels in other classes. Taking the Battle caster feat removes the somatic spell failure chance for medium armor.



Eldritch blast

 * An eldritch blast is a ray with a range of 60ft.
 * It may be cast unlimited times per day
 * It is a ranged touch attack that affects a single target.
 * is subject to spell resistance (spell penetration feats and other effects that improve caster level to overcome spell resistance also apply).
 * half damage to objects.
 * is a weapon-like spell (Critical hit on a roll of 20, double damage on a critical hit)
 * One each of an Eldritch Essence and Blast Shape invocations may be applied to an Eldritch Blast
 * Applied invocations may cause additional effects and thus allow for a save (an unaltered Eldritch Blast does not allow for a save)



Eldritch lore
At 2nd level the warlock gains a +2 bonus to Lore and Spellcraft skill checks.



Deceive item
From level 4 onwards, a warlock gains a +4 bonus to Use Magic Device skill checks.



Fiendish resilience
Once per day, as a free action, a warlock can gain fast healing for 2 minutes. The Fast Healing value is 1 point from 8th level, 2 points from 13th level and 5 points from 18th level.



Energy resistance
At level 10 a warlock can choose two energy types from acid, cold, electricity, fire, and sonic. He gains 5 points energy resistance against those chosen damage types.

At level 20 this value increases to 10 points.



Invocations
A warlock does not prepare or cast spells like other arcane spellcasters. A warlock can use any invocation he knows at will, with qualifications.
 * A warlock's invocations are spell-like abilities, therefore a standard action that provokes an attack of opportunity.
 * If a warlock is hit when invoking he must make a concentration check or the invocation is disrupted.
 * A warlock may choose to invoke defensively, by making a concentration check, to avoid provoking attacks of opportunities.
 * A warlock's invocations are subject to spell resistance unless an invocation's description specifically states otherwise.
 * A warlock's caster level with his invocations are equal to his class level. However, the spell level of the Eldritch Blast is always equal to one unless modified by invocations according to the most recent and final statements of WotC. If both a blast shape and a blast essence are added to the Eldritch Blast, then the spell level of the blast is equal to the higher spell level of either the shape or essence.
 * The DC for an invocation (if it allows a save) is 10 + equivalent spell level + warlock's charisma modifier.
 * Warlock invocations suffer armor related spell failure (from Medium and heavier armor and shields) in the same way as arcane spells.



Grades
The four grades of invocation, in order of their relative power, are least, lesser, greater and dark.



Gaining invocations
A warlock begins with knowledge of one invocation, which must be of the lowest grade (least).

Warlocks may swap one invocation for one of the same grade (least, lesser, etc.) at each level gain.



Enhancement feats
Invocations are not actually spells, they are spell-like abilities. They are not compatible with spell focus feats or any metamagic feats save spell penetration.



Invocation types
(Blast Shape or Eldritch Essence)

Some invocations can modify a Warlock's eldritch blast attack. these invocations are either blast shape invocations or eldritch essence invocations. They do not produce an effect on their own like regular invocations but must be used in conjunction with eldritch blast to generate an effect.

Equivalent spell level
Each invocation has an equivalent spell level (ESL) to determine the save DC (if it allows a save) and the required power to dispel it. If both a shape and an essense are applied to an Eldritch Blast, the ESL of the Eldritch Blast is the higher ESL of either the shape or the essense.

The save DC of an invocation is 10 + equivalent spell level + Warlock's Charisma modifier.

Caster level equals Warlock class level.



Least invocations


Lesser invocations


Greater invocations


Dark invocations


Differences
The implementation of some invocations differs from the Warlock description in Complete Arcane:

<BR>
 * Draining blast||||New in NWN2
 * Leaps and bounds||||Bonus to dexterity instead of jump and balance, +4 instead of +6
 * Flee the scene||||Haste-effect instead of teleport self.
 * Dark foresight||||"Sixth Sense" is implemented as Damage reduction
 * Word of changing||||Polymorph self instead of polymorph other
 * Wall of Perilous Flame||||Should be 2d6 + warlock caster level damage/round
 * Tenacious Plague||||Should summon swarms that do auto hit magic damage each round to all in AOE of each swarm
 * }
 * Word of changing||||Polymorph self instead of polymorph other
 * Wall of Perilous Flame||||Should be 2d6 + warlock caster level damage/round
 * Tenacious Plague||||Should summon swarms that do auto hit magic damage each round to all in AOE of each swarm
 * }
 * Tenacious Plague||||Should summon swarms that do auto hit magic damage each round to all in AOE of each swarm
 * }

Pre-release notes

 * The class feature Imbue item normally gained at 12th level is not included in NWN2.
 * Lore was used in NWN as a collective version of knowledge and other information skills. NWN2 will include it for the same reasons.
 * The skills jump and knowledge have been confirmed as not being implemented in NWN2.
 * According to images of screens taken at Gen-Con, detect magic is replaced by Eldritch lore (+2 Lore, +2 Spellcraft); deceive item is implemented as +4 Use magic device; fiendish resilience is implemented as healing the specified number of hit points per round for 20 rounds -- 1 point at level 8, 2 points at level 13, 5 points at level 18; energy resistance and damage reduction appear to work as specified in the SRD.
 * According to the pre-released toolkit, the following p&p invocations are not inluded in NWN2:
 * Least: Sickening blast, Baleful utterance, Breath of night, Earthen grasp, Miasmic cloud, Spiderwalk and Summon swarm
 * Lesser: Fell flight, Hungry darkness, Stony grasp, Voidsense and Wall of gloom
 * Greater: Enervating shadow, Repelling blast, Warlock call
 * Dark: Dark discorporation, Path of shadow


 * According to the toolset and the german manual (http://forums.eu.atari.com/showthread.php?t=43967) it seems very unlikely that the Warlock will be able to trade an invocation for one of a lesser grade (e.g. trade a lesser invocation for a least one).

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NWN comparison

 * This class did not exist in NWN.
 * Changes in damage reduction mean that it is no longer only bypassed depending on the level of magical enchantment but by as wider range of values including materials and alignment.