Not Used: Warlocks!

Warlocks. Yes, base-class warlocks. It's been done with the PRC, although I never played around with that and don't know how they implemented it.

But I got my own ideas for Aenean warlocks (and having been playing NWN2 recently, my warlock luv is at full tilt).

How to do the eldritch blasts, with essences and shapes? With the same basic idea used for cleric granted spells. Universal feats, that work off variables for the exact effects. But instead of "If diety = mystara then do X", the check would be "if invocation Y, then do X". When a warlock levels up, and gains a new invocation, they get a universal feat (say, Dark Invocation I, II, or III), and they select which actual invocation they get via a VC command. On level ups, they can "swap" with the VC command (since the actual invocation is done via VC variables, rather than a ton of specific feats, which actually can't be swapped like sorcs swap spells). Also, maybe do it where the selections have to be made prior to hitting the 'level up button', and won't take effect until the _onlevelup script fires off... to prevent any 'mid level invocation swapping' shenanigans.

The regular blast feat itself would be always there.

Quickslot the feat. If it's the regular blast feat, no muss no fuss, it fires off as normal. If it's a normal invocation... it fires off without any other muss or fuss. If it's a blast shape, it fires off as a shaped eldritch blast, or if an essence, fires off as an essence. If the warlock has a shape *and* an essence... then, use a VC command to stack them. Say, ;;eb chain hellbrine... then, the universal feat that's set to be the chain shape, would fire off, but be both a shape, and have the essence applied as well. The feat designated as the essence would fire off as just the essence unless it gets tweaked with a ;;eb hellbrine chain command. Or, to simplify it a bit further... the ;;eb X Y commands would only adjust the edlritch blast feat itself (would work either way, there are pro's and cons for either... some shapes/essences are a ref save while some are touch attacks, wanting to use one combo one moment and another the other could be a hassle if done via VC commands... although warlocks won't be quite as quickslot starved as sorcs/wizards... so even if one went the blasting build route, one row of quickslots for the actual feats, one row of quickslots for stack VC commands)

Other warlock particulars... deceive item is a straight forward feat... I'm sure imbue item could be worked into the Aenea PIES system in a way that bypasses the spell required check.... although I would really NOT want to see the "can't attempt again until next level" restriction rear it's ugly mug... restricting it to say, no more attempts after a failed check until a few game days has passed would still be hefty a restriction.

Battlecaster/armored caster feats... it won't be a perfect implementation, but, this could be done via a property on the PC skin. If the character has a warlock level (or bard for that matter), X amount of reduced spell failure is placed on their PC skin. The upside... reduced spell failure on the skin will reduce the failure imposed by the armor worn. The downside... that would cover shields as well, which aren't covered by the armored/battlecaster feats in PnP. It would also reduce (but not eliminate) the failure incured by heavy armors (and for those warlocks/bards that don't take armored-caster, it would reduce the medium armors' spell failures).

Another method though.... apply the reduced ASF via a temporary property. If a warlock/bard wears light armor, the on_equip script checks to see if they're a bard or warlock, and what base AC the armor is. If both checks pass, temp reduced ASF applied to the armor much like temp props are currently applied to mage staffs/shurikens. A third check... if the warlock/bard has the battle-caster feat, the temp property would cover medium armor base AC's as well.

And... lastly.. the problem with custom base classes in PWs.... This could be handled with LETO and an extra room in the astral conjunction chargen rooms rather than everyone wanting warlock goodness making a new PC in the build module, emailing it in to and him having to check to make sure it's all kosher statwise and all the other hassles with such a method... Yes, leto edits can be a pain, on the otherhand, it could easily automate the process to allow for a custom base class with the following method:

To choose warlock as your level1 base class, select bard in the character creation process. Then, when you head through the conjunction, get the extra room, and if your'e a bard, use a VC command to select which invocation you want (refer above to invocation selection/swapping), click on a "I wanna be a warlock!" placeable, just like we click on the subrace or diety placeables.

If an invocation is properly chosen, and you are indeed a bard, Leto then punts you, and changes the base class variable in the .bic from bard to warlock, swaps the bardsong feat for the eldritch blast feat, and the bardic lore feat for the lesser evocation I universal feat. The battle-caster feat could be granted at bard/warlock2 instead of level 1 to reduce the number of LETO edits needed).

WHy bard though? Both are medium BAB progression, both are d6 HD per level, I believe both are 4 skill points per level, and I *think* the same high/low saves, both get simple weapon proficiencies... Warlocks only get light armor, so the shield and medium armor feats would need to be removed via LETO as well. The skillsets are almost the same, with bards getting a few more class skills, but at most, you'd be able to finagle a few extra points of hide/move/discipline/persuade/appraise in at level 1 only....

And of course, characters taking warlock levels AFTER level 1 would not require leto editing, and wouldn't be able to sneak in a few extra points into what would be crossclass skills since the level1 problem is only because NWN *doesn't* load custom content at character creation.

But.... if this is all doable.... warlocks! Yay!

Yeah, me luvs warlocks.... This is something I asked about many moons ago, with the advent of the Telemus Arcanum line of spells because it reminded me of eldritch blasts. Would be awesome to see

i second that!

Just when I thought I'd reached the point where I didn't need to create anymore PCs...

Hmm.

If this is possible, I wonder what else we could squeeze in....

Fighter -> Swashbuckler?
Rage variants for Barbarian? (Whirling Frenzy, etc.)
Rogue -> Scout?

What are the rage variants? I know of the Frenzied barb, but that's a PrC.

Swashbucklers would be cool, and not as many class features to work out through scripting as the warlock base.

Other warlock features that could be easily done...

Call fiend (4th), and Fiendish Servant (11th)... could use the BG summon fiend to cover those.

And the 14th level Fear Aura would simply be rocking to have.