AMIA ARCHIVE • View topic - A plea for aid in the story and the request for a Warlock

Hello Amia,

I am not a very well known player, and I have not had the chance to participate much in RP events. I have always wanted to, and I have always wanted to build a proper RP character in the lore of Amia. When I saw the Warlock class, I thought that this would be a great opportunity to try, as I have always loved the Warlock for the storytelling potential (Cursed characters and the like, or the redemption story, always get me). I intend to make a full Warlock, without level dipping, as I want to experience the full range of the class and how it would take a character through a story arc.

So, I humbly request some assistance in first building a proper story in Amia lore for a Warlock, and secondly, how to go about making a request for one (what would be needed, expected, etc...)

For beginners, I felt that a Human would be the most fitting for me. I'm not sure on the subrace, or if Warlock interacts differently with the subraces. Would the Bardic base of Warlock still interact with Dupari?

Anyway, thank you for your time reading this, and your assistance in helping me develop a fleshed out character for Amia.

Post eaten

cliff notes. Stick to the source material, it makes life easier. Explain why you want warlock and what you plan to do for Amia with the PC. Join a faction for bigger storylines! More people, long histories, mean DM presence is more readily offered to them. I believe DMs have stated multiple times they care for group initiatives and consistency.

Download a browser add-on called Lazarus. You'll never have a post eaten again that you are not able to recover. I've nothing to add on the Warlock stuff, sorry

repost of my original post:

Quote:

Hello Amia,

I am not a very well known player, and I have not had the chance to participate much in RP events. I have always wanted to, and I have always wanted to build a proper RP character in the lore of Amia. When I saw the Warlock class, I thought that this would be a great opportunity to try, as I have always loved the Warlock for the storytelling potential (Cursed characters and the like, or the redemption story, always get me). I intend to make a full Warlock, without level dipping, as I want to experience the full range of the class and how it would take a character through a story arc.

So, I humbly request some assistance in first building a proper story in Amia lore for a Warlock, and secondly, how to go about making a request for one (what would be needed, expected, etc...)

For beginners, I felt that a Human would be the most fitting for me. I'm not sure on the subrace, or if Warlock interacts differently with the subraces. Would the Bardic base of Warlock still interact with Dupari?

Anyway, thank you for your time reading this, and your assistance in helping me develop a fleshed out character for Amia.

I say go wild with your idea! You will still require references, but I think Warlock in general allows creative liberties that other magic classes might not. I think the first thing is to think about your source of power: is it chaotic, good, evil, does it come from another plane, is it divine or arcane etc.? And I don't see why Durpari wouldn't work, they for example might have frequent dealings with Djinni and Efreeti with whom they could strike a deal of a different nature. I was curious about playing a Rashemi or Gur Warlock who possesses the "Sight" and roleplaying the class as a connection to their ancestry, spirits and astral projections thereof.

Well first and foremost you need to decide what type of creature you want your Warlock pacted with. I think that is the core of how your character will act and be.

Is it a fiend? A celestial? A powerful other outsider like a Slaad or Efreet/Djinn/Marid?

What kind of pact is it? Did your character engage in it personally? Was it inherited? What are the details of it and how does that influence your character? Is your character glad about that? Or is there dislike for it?

I think those are some of they key questions you should ask yourself. Additionally of course, what race is your character, which also influences on how they would feel/act. Human definately is the easiest but that makes it no less interesting. On contrary. Many other races have a lot of specifics of how they should be or at least how they generally are. Humans can be whatever. The good hearted person who sometimes just makes a foolish decision. The evil thug who just wants more power. The neutral guy who is an opportunist and just grabs the bull by the horns when a good offer arises...

Thanks everyone,

I am definitely leaning human, and I love the idea of being indebted to a Djinn or an Efreet, that is fantastic. I would definitely not go evil, but more along the lines that rage or grief led to a really bad idea, where I sought out power where I didn't belong.

I would say that this is a gained pact, where I chose it willingly, but did not fully understand the scope of my debt.

I am leaning Chaotic Neutral.

Now I have to research Djinn and Efreeti in the realms. Thanks for the great start.

What would be needed of me in the request page for this?

Login, character name, character race (and subrace, if any), alignment, build intentions (just classes, don't need the feat spread, though as an advise you'll need to invest in all the spell penentration feats and one of the "custom" epic feats to get the epic warlock widget to make this function. Charisma as highest stat and dexterity as second highest)

That is for the header.

Then you need the story of who he is, his personality and how he ended up in the pact.

Lastly you could/should mention why you picked this class and why you feel it picks that character best!

I have a backstory and reasoning cooked up for the Requests thread, but I have a couple of questions about character creation with the Warlock:

Does Expertise work with the Eldritch Widget powers?

Are the crafting feats Craft Item, Brew Potion, and Scribe Scroll, or only a couple of them?

does Blindsight work with the Eldritch Widget powers?

Thanks!

Bump

Mask and Riddle wrote:

Does Expertise work with the Eldritch Widget powers?

Are the crafting feats Craft Item, Brew Potion, and Scribe Scroll, or only a couple of them?

does Blindsight work with the Eldritch Widget powers?

Also really want to know this!

Blind Sight and Expertise will work in a Warlock build, as it would with any build! You can take Brew Potion and Scribe Scroll feats as well but it won't work for scribing/brewing anything aside from your "Bard" spells (known ICly as your invocations), as Eldritch powers (AKA the widgets) are not actually spells but spell-like abilities. So keep that in mind.

Wait, so does Expertise lower your Touch Attack AB as it would a normal attack?

Expertise lowers attack bonus, not base attack bonus which is used in a ranged or normal touch attack.

Ranged touch attacks are BAB+Dex+Weapon attack bonus + other potential bonuses (Though I'm fairly certain bows or other weapons or spell bonuses won't give an attack bonus to the eldritch blasts ranged touch attack)
As such I'd reckon the eldritch blast touch attack is only BAB+Dex VS 10+DexMod+Deflection+Dodge+Size modifiers

Yeah, it's one of the reasons imp expertise is so good on a warlock. 10 free ac while you blast away.

Gravemaskin wrote:

(Though I'm fairly certain bows or other weapons or spell bonuses won't give an attack bonus to the eldritch blasts ranged touch attack)

Tested this with Melee Touch Attack, and it didn't add the EB on weapon to the roll.

It won't add EB. It will add AB though.

So, if you have an item with +5 AB, that is +5 to your ranged touch attack.
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As for the character's fluff... It really depends on how and if you intend to explore your pact. Is it something your character made, or are they a byproduct of one of their ancestors poking some sort of Outsider or Fey and asking for power? Do you have a concept in mind?

And race wise, even though it uses the Bard class, Warlocks can be from anywhere. The Dupari thing would only come into play if you were multiclassing, but you have expressed a desire for a pure build, so, whatever region of Faerun you would like your Human to be from is pretty much fair game.

DustSpray101 wrote:

It won't add EB. It will add AB though.

So, if you have an item with +5 AB, that is +5 to your ranged touch attack.

wait so if you have a warlock not so fighting focused its better to have a weapon with +5 AB and not +5 enchant?
That makes things interesting

Does this also work with the GMW transmutation page change buff?

Unrelated but related enough... as an FYI, grenade weapons rely on the same ranged Touch Attack formula!

Frozen-ass wrote:

...
wait so if you have a warlock not so fighting focused its better to have a weapon with +5 AB and not +5 enchant?
That makes things interesting

Does this also work with the GMW transmutation page change buff?

I'd imagine so since it changes the bonus to +5 AB instead of EB. Should register the same, but I'm not versed with the technical stuff.

I'm having problems following the Warlock stuff... So, if this was answered before, I apologise.
Does the Warlock have to be aware of the pact and its conditions? I have a cool concept in mind (not that it's likely going to be made, but I hoard concepts...) and I was curious if that aspect works. So, to take the example to its extreme, could a Warlock think his powers come from 100 Push-ups, 100 Sit-ups, 100 squats, and 10 km running every single day? Or does he actually know he is "cursed/blessed" by some outsider?

Example to demonstrate a story (not the concept, it's also not supposed to be enough to make a request from, because it's just a theoretical question):
7 generations ago, the great-great-[...]-grandfather/-mother said: "I will offer my soul and that of my progeny if you grant us powers (and don't kill the firstborn prematurely)" (reasons to be determined)
Now, that pact was made with a devil, so they are all doomed to hell. Devil grudgingly agreed, after he also had some more gain from the deal (I don't know, gave the devil a whole city of souls, whatever)
Present time, the firstborn (whose parents died) got raised in some backwater by a monk, who made him go through that training. After a while, the extremely disciplined young man discovered his powers, and because, in his eyes, it is the only thing that sets him apart from others is his training, he is sure his powers are from the training.
And now he came to Amia.

Is that allowed? I mean, would the story be considered if it was fleshed out a bit more, and the training replaced with something more... sensible?

The pact is always known as it's a conscious decision to make/inherit the pact.

How is it conscious to inherit the pact?

The fact that you realize that your parent/grandparent/etc had such a pact, and through being of blood, you can choose to inherit the pact. It's not something automatic by any means, as far as I understand it. It's not like being born as a tiefling, aasimar, genasi, etc. The pact giver would extend the pact to you being that you are blood. But it's not inevitable.

If I am mistaken in this regard, either way, the pact is still something that the user is aware of. Otherwise the pact giver wouldn't be giving such abilities out. They would have to be sure that the one who inherits the pact is aware of the terms.

I disagree, to an extent. They may be aware of themselves being beholden to a pact, but the details very well can be fuzzy.

If part of the pact a Warlock's ancestor made had some form of succession as a part of the pact, and enough generations go by, the full details of the pact itself might not be known to those that are beholden to it.

IE: Say that somewhere in the pact there is a comment that "Every 3rd child of each generation awakens their abilities on the eve of their 13th birthday." 5 generations later, unless the pact maker wrote it down, they may not know the specifics of their pact right up front.

This allows the pact to be explored in game and makes for interesting character develpments. From experience, that route is rather rewarding.

Quote:

IE: Say that somewhere in the pact there is a comment that "Every 3rd child of each generation awakens their abilities on the eve of their 13th birthday." 5 generations later, unless the pact maker wrote it down, they may not know the specifics of their pact right up front.

This allows the pact to be explored in game and makes for interesting character develpments. From experience, that route is rather rewarding.

Bingo. "Sins of the Father" is a classic Warlock archetype.

But in that case, would the character know anything about the pact? All he would know is that he got those powers... Or the pact-holder comes, in which case, the question is: Does he always come?

To answer your first question:
Nope, the character wouldn't necessarily know anything about their pact, other than the absolute basics, or even less than that. There are all manners of backstory where a child may not even know their blood family and still could develop these powers, being then completely in the dark as to where and why they came to them.

To answer your second question:
If the pact giver comes, on Amia as it is in PnP, it is at a DM's discretion, typically.

To be honest, depending on the terms of the Pact, or if it is up to be renewed within the character's life span, the giver may never even need to show themselves at all. Of course, on the flip side of that and with the assistance of other spell casters, a Warlock may be able to find out more about their pact and choose to seek out the giver themselves.

Just to reply to something Sam said earlier:

Quote:

Blind Sight and Expertise will work in a Warlock build, as it would with any build! You can take Brew Potion and Scribe Scroll feats as well but it won't work for scribing/brewing anything aside from your "Bard" spells (known ICly as your invocations), as Eldritch powers (AKA the widgets) are not actually spells but spell-like abilities. So keep that in mind.

I'm confused because the warlock description says:

Quote:

Imbue Item: A warlock of 12th level or higher can use his supernatural power to create magic items, even if he does not know the spells required to make an item (although he must know the appropriate item creation feat). This can be emulated by item crafting feats.

Just confused whether this means that the warlock item creation feature depends on the item creation feats?

Thanks!

Last edited by lilmarcat on Sun, Mar 12 2017, 2:31 AM, edited 1 time in total.

Believe how it works is that Warlocks keep all their normal Spells as a Bard would, and just calls them invocations . And - if you take any item creation feat (Craft wand / brew potion / scribe scroll ), you can use your "invocations" (AKA Bard spells) to make items like normal. The inclusion of the Imbue item feat is just for lore sake.

Edit - accidentally had a can't in there instead of can.

lilmarcat wrote:

Believe how it works is that Warlocks keep all their normal Spells as a Bard would, and just calls them invocations . And - if you take any item creation feat (Craft wand / brew potion / scribe scroll ), you can't use your "invocations" (AKA Bard spells) to make items like normal. The inclusion of the Imbue item feat is just for lore sake.

That's correct.

In terms of pnp spells for Warlocks, how should they be done? I know taht the norm for other spontanious casters tend to be to have a reserved useless spell as a placeholder for it. Like with Thomas I've half a dozen or so useless spells that are placeholders for various pnp spells to be used trough the normal pnp spell rules when the opportunity comes along.

But since warlocks uses invocations in ranks from least, lesser, greater and dark... How'd we go about doing that on a Warlock PC on Amia given that we get to use bardic spells that are ranked between 1 and 6? I'd personally go with SL2 for least, 3 for lesser, 5 for greater and 6 for dark. But I'm curious to hear what others think.

A plea for aid in the story and the request for a Warlock

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