Warlock in Depth
Hey everyone, Reecius here with the next in-depth article for the Hero Expansion: the Warlock.
Production update: we are finalizing the resolution of all print materials and finally got the dang tokens to fit in the dual layer boards, that was such a bear to get done. Also, thank you for the patience while I was gone to help with my parents while my mom goes through chemotherapy. They required a lot more assistance than I anticipated but it was good to get some time with my parents, and for them to meet the baby. I will be caught up on any comments or PMs by tomorrow.
Let’s dive into how this warrior-wizard plays in Blood Throne.
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We’ve previously covered the following classes:
We have previously covered the following classes:
Martial Characters:
To read the Fighter in depth article, click here.
To read the Barbarian in depth article, click here.
To read the Ranger in depth article, click here.
To read the Rogue in depth article, click here.
To read the Dark Knight in depth article, click here.
To read the Paladin in depth article, click here.
Skill Classes:
To read the Inquisitor in depth article, click here.
To read the Warlord in depth article, click here.
To read the Bard in depth article, click here.
To read the Alchemist in depth article, click here.
Arcane Classes:
To read the Shaman in depth article, click here.
To read the Dread Mage in depth article, click here.
To read the Priest in depth article, click here.
To Read the Druid in depth article, click here.
Shortcut to Power
The Warlock was a class that took me quite a while to work out. In most RPG style games they are more of a magic user than a melee class, their powers coming from some sort of dark deal made with a metaphysical power. In Blood Throne they are conceptually similar. Warlocks make a bargain for power in exchange for their literal soul. Most reasonable Kith would never enter into such a bargain but in these dark days of the world Cheol, more and more are willing to gain power at any cost.
What differentiates the Blood Throne Warlock class from other fantasy RPG settings is an emphasis on melee over magic. Mechanically, as Warlocks are not true spellcasters like a Wizard, I decided to have them use Shout Actions (powerful spelllike commands or invocations) or having innate abilities to reflect them calling on their Patron to provide magical powers. Their spelllike abilities are more to enhance their physical prowess, provide mobility and most importantly, deal damage at any range! The class equivalent for the Adherents to Zenith is the Ranger in regards to providing DPS at range. However, whereas the Ranger is optimized for shooting while being competent in melee, the Warlock is not quite as good at range but better up close with some really fun magical abilities to give them a unique playstyle. The idea is more of a spellblade type hero, or the popular Hexblade Warlock subclass.
In testing the Warlock was often a play-tester favorite. In our last PvP test session he was, by far, the standout Hero and outpaced all others in regards to taking heads. The Warlock is fragile but very fast and the ability to deal damage at any range means that so long as you can keep him out of engagements he doesn’t want to be in, will be a punishing model.
Designer’s note: I bounced back and forth between having these spellblade style classes be in the Martial or Arcane category. Realistically they can go in either and simply lean more into one aspect or the other (fighting vs. magic) but after trying it out it felt more appropriate in most cases to have them be combat oriented classes that had magical abilities rather than magic users with some combat such as the Priest class from the Core Box who certainly can fight but feels more like a magic user first. We have some more of these hybrid “Red Mage” style classes planned for the future so it will be fun to see how the community reacts to the design choices and hear any feedback on the concept as they are popular class archetypes in RPGs.
A Deal with a Dy’Val
The Warlock is an individual that craves power and is willing to do anything to get it. This manifests as enhanced physical and magical abilities funneled to them from a powerful force. Typically this is a Deh’Va but can be a Dy’Val (evil metaphysical entities created by Ha’Sathan) or even more esoteric sources. This means they are often arrogant and prideful, having taken a short-cut to power instead of earning it over years of effort as with most other heroic classes.
In the game this manifests as a combination of powerful ranged and melee attack options, the ability to protect themselves with magical wards, teleport, steal the life of allies or even banish enemies to the Aetheric Realm! They are indeed very powerful foes.
Equipment Restrictions
Warlocks have fairly strict equipment restrictions to balance their other abilities but also to showcase them as melee-mages. They may only wear up to light armor, and must keep their off-hand free which is meant to simulate them using that hand to wield their signature Hellfire Blast, their Class Ability which is a ranged attack.
What this means is Warlock’s basically get a “free” ranged weapon at no encumbrance cost. This comes at the expense of being able to not wear heavier armor or use a shield, dual wield or take a two-handed weapon. Due to this restriction you will frequently choose the Duelist Training level 1 General Feat when making a custom Warlock which grants significant bonuses to a Hero that only uses a single one-handed weapon. It is meant to reflect a musketeer type hero, or a samurai using only a katana, etc. As the Warlock is required to use a single one-handed weapon, it is a good choice as it increases Accuracy, weapon damage and Evasion! Additionally, Warlocks may not equip a ranged or thrown weapon in their main-hand to avoid them having two ranged attacks which we found in playtesting was too powerful.
Class Ability: Hellfire Blast
The Warlock’s Class Ability is Hellfire Blast, a Ranged Attack Action with Medium Range which deals 4 damage dice + Power. A solid ranged attack, particularly considering the Warlock does not have to use any encumbrance points to “equip” it. This ability may be increased to Long Range with the Reaching Hellfire Blast feat, and may add 1 RD to the damage dice pool with Empowered Hellfire Blast.
This skill does not require much explanation. It reflects the power of the Warlock to smite a foe from range simply by willing it. It gives them the ability to deal damage at any range, making them a threat to nearly any target on the board. While not as strong as the Ranger’s long ranged attacks, as you will see, they more than make up for that with enhanced melee attack options.
Primary Skill Tree
The Warlock’s primary skill tree revolves around DPS at multiple range bands. They have a variety of Class Skills to choose from to accomplish this goal.
Hellfire Strike
The other primary attack skill the Warlock has is Hellfire Strike, available at level 1. This is a straight damage buff to melee, adding 2 raw dice to the damage dice pool, making the Warlock deadly in melee. This can be further increased to 3 raw dice with the Empowered Hellfire Strike feat, making the Warlock a truly scary opponent in hand to hand combat. If you can set it up, a Hellfire Blast followed by a charge using Hellfire Strike will finish off most opponents outside of dedicated tanks or opponents with a ton of HP. These two cards are the foundation of what make the Warlock a threat to any target. Adding two Raw Dice to the Damage Dice pool means this attack can just kill many targets. Whereas the Rogue must backstab to get the same damage output (but can Backstab twice in the same Activation!) the Warlock can just use this at will, making it more versatile. Be aware though, that as with any special ability, it can be denied by a model with the ability to do so.
Repelling Blast
At level 4 the Warlock may choose Repelling Blast, a great utility card to both deal damage and to also get the Warlock out of a tight spot. Warlocks want to dance around the table hitting hard and then fading away. They do not typically want to be stuck in a brawl as they do not have a lot of defensive abilities available to them. Repelling Blast is a once per game Shout Action which targets all Opposing Models within Reach Range of the Warlock, Line of Sight not required. Affected models take 2 Raw Dice of damage but more importantly are pushed back 2 movement points, meaning all enemies around the Warlock are moved to outside of engagement range, allowing the Warlock to run away or at least buy some time. As with most Shout Actions, this is a Simple Action, meaning you can do it and not eat up one of your 2 Standard Actions, allowing the Warlock to run for the hills or pick off a key enemy.
Hellish Portal
At level 8 the Warlock gains a truly scary skill. Drawing on their connection to dark powers, they target an enemy in short range and send them screaming through a portal to the realm of the Dy’Vals, resulting in an instant KO! This is a once per game ability and obviously extremely powerful. You want to save this for a mini-boss monster, or opposing Hero that has low Fortitude. Just be wary, your opponent will do anything in their power to stop this skill if they can, so be strategic in how you employ it and laugh evilly as you one shot a key model!
Eldritch Lance
At level 10 the Warlock gains their ultimate skill: Eldritch Lance. This extremely powerful ability is a Long Range Line, hitting all models, friend or foe for 4 Raw Dice + Power damage, no line of sight needed! This is like Goku firing a Kamehameha essentially, and is super fun to use. You just draw a straight line across the entire board and anyone unfortunately to be in that line gets blasted!
Secondary Skill Tree
The Warlock’s Secondary Skill tree is about absorbing or avoiding damage, and they have a few key abilities to help keep them in the fight long enough to unleash their considerable arsenal of offensive abilities.
Hexagramic Ward
At level 1 the Warlock has access to Hexagramic Ward. This is a Shout Action which grants the Warlock a strong, one turn defensive buff. The Warlock gains +2 Evasion, making them considerably harder to hit with most attacks. This is a card you want in your deck most games as if you aren’t using your Simple Action for something else, you may as well buff yourself. This can be further enhanced with the Greater Hexagramic Ward feat to additionally grant the Braced Inspiration, which means you have no rear arc while not the active model. In practice, you cannot be hit in the rear arc which dramatically increases your defense.
Devilish Parry
At level 2 the Warlock gains Devilish Parry, which is a Reactive Action allowing the Warlock a free Parry action without the normal penalties for Parrying. Combined with an upgraded Hexagramic Ward you can even Parry an attack in your rear arc to ensure that your Warlock can reduce damage at least once after committing to a fight. As Parrying gives you the Disarmed status on the weapon you Parry with (meaning you cannot attack with it in the next Activation) having the ability to get a free Parry can be lifesaving without sacrificing the ability to hit back. A solid ability to buy the Warlock another turn if they fail to take out their chosen target.
Steal Vitality
At level 6 the Warlock may take Steal Vitality, a twist on a self-heal type of ability. Being the selfish and devious individuals they are, the Warlock has no qualms with “borrowing” some life from an ally! The Warlock makes a Shout Action that is automatically successful and deals 2 raw dice of damage to an ally in Short Range, healing twice that amount for themself! This pairs really well with a model like the Dark Knight which tends to have a lot of HP and can heal themselves. While hurting your buddy isn’t fun, the result is a powerful heal to keep the Warlock in the fight.
Tertiary Skill Tree
Finally, the Warlock has a single, but powerful skill in their third skill tree: Mobility. This helps the Warlock stay mobile to fly around the table dealing damage!
Dimensional Step
At level 1 you gain access to one of the Warlock’s best abilities: Dimensional Step. This is another Shout Action (and thus a Simple Action for action economy) that lets the Warlock make a move action to any unoccupied square in Short Range, ignoring Attacks of Opportunity. Further, you can increase this by +1 square range with the Reaching Dimensional Step feat. This is an incredibly powerful Class Skill to help get the Warlock out of a fight they don’t want to be in, move past a tank, through a wall, etc. It makes them exceptionally mobile and hard to counter due to their ability to take unexpected angles of attack.As you can see, the Warlock has a lot of Simple Action abilities, so that Simple Action will be in high demand for the Warlock. The tradeoff to true Casting Actions is that you can only do one of these per Activation but it doesn’t eat up your Standard Actions. I felt this made the Warlock feel unique and true to the lore while allowing them to shoot, move and punch to keep their DPS up!
Feats
The Warlock’s Feats run along two tracks: hitting harder and being harder to hit. As with all heroes, each even level you may select one of the two Class Feats available to you, the choices are permanent and provide a passive bonus to your hero.
At level 2, the Warlock has two simple but very good choices: either increase Accuracy or Evasion by +1. So you either connect more often with your attacks or are hit less often. Due to their high base Evasion of 3, the Duelist Feat and Hexagramic Ward can make really effective Evasion tank style Warlocks despite not having access to a shield. Alternatively you can simply try and dance around combat and focus on hitting harder.
At level 4 the Warlock may either take Reaching Hellfire Blast or Greater Hexagramic Ward. Long Range on Hellfire Blast means any opponent you can see you can target, although remember there is a penalty for making an Action beyond Medium Range. Few abilities or weapons function at Long Range though so this is quite powerful and allows you to sit back and snipe with your Warlock if you choose to. Alternatively, gaining Braced when you use Hexagramic Ward makes your Warlock much more resilient, particularly with Devilish Parry and/or the Improved Parry general feat to reduce incoming melee damage from any angle.
At level 6 the Warlock may take Empowered Hellfire Blast to increase the damage of their ranged attack, or Cloak of Shadows which grants them the Hidden status whenever they make a Defend Action. Hidden makes you invisible outside of Short Range which for a ranged Warlock build is obviously extremely strong. Shoot, then vanish! This is less useful for a more melee oriented Warlock though as Hidden also slows you down, and does not work at closer ranges.
At level 8 the Warlock may take Empowered Hellfire Strike or Reaching Dimensional Step to either increase their melee damage even further or to make their teleport ability have greater range. Both are extremely strong choices and will come down to how you play your Warlock. Do you want to deliver a knockout blow in melee or have more movement options?
Playing Dextrioth
Dextrioth, Blood-Burned of Tathrax was a character we had a ton of fun creating. He is an Infernal Elf, essentially a “Tiefling” elf, who in the world of Cheol are known for their dark allure as well as aggresive demeanors. Dextrioth was born one of twins, and in the custom of his area, each was delivered to one of the temples of creation and destruction. While his sibling went to the gentle embrace of Zenith, he was delivered into the service of Ha’Sathan, the great destroyer. He excelled in his role and quickly rose in the ranks of the Immoral Host, at that time called the Wild Horde. However, upon receiving the Blood Sacrament and the corrupting power of Dehvathae, he was twisted into a monster. His fate seemed to be one of pain and torment but he was saved by Inquisitor Kalth who helped guide him back to sanity via a Warlock’s soul-pact with the ascendant Lord Akirthil.
For saving him from a fate worse than death, Dextrioth is unquestionably loyal to Lord Akrithil and Inquisitor Kalth, acting as enforcer, assassin and worse. Feared by all who know him, Dextrioth was sent to aid Kalth in the aftermath of the Tower of Sacrifice campaign, where his ominous presence casts a long shadow over those who would oppose the Immortal Host.
On the table, Dextrioth is extremely fun to play. He has “elf speed” of 6 movement points, plus the ability to teleport short distances via his Warlock abilities, making him incredibly mobile. Combined with his innate ranged attack and reach range on his spear, Dextrioth is able to choose when and where he engages with opponents.
Infernal Elves have access to the Infernal Flames Heritage Skill, which once per game as a Free Action allows them to set an opponent On Fire. It is a nice way to put that extra bit of damage on a target to finish them off if your normal suite of attacks falls short, or to continue to chip away at a tank character.
Dextrioth is built for speed, hitting power and to be evasive. He is not very good at taking a punch, not terrible, but do not expect him to go toe to toe with a heavy hitter and last long. Ideally you set up a good line of attack, take out a key Monster or Opposing Hero, then fade away using his speed and special movement skills. With Accuracy 4 and the Accurate keyword on his Spear, he will rarely miss at range or in melee. Evasion 6 is very good and combining this with Hexagramic Ward to go to 8 makes him hard to hit. He has a respectable Power of 2, and with 15 HP and Light armor isn’t as vulnerable as some Heroes in case an enemy does connect with him, but he is certainly no tank.
In playtesting, players that simply rushed in with him were often disappointed which is true of any of the finesse style Martial heroes (Rogue, Monk, Warlock). Those that were patient with him found that he was the most powerful hero in their Party and once he starts to level up, can become truly scary. You can hover around the fight blasting targets at range, then commit to melee when you are confident you will eliminate a key threat.
You want to give him items and magical gear to enhance his one shot, one kill potential. Upgrading his spear to be Blessed at the Blacksmith is a great choice (replacing one DD with an RD), and any Enchantments for his spear to increase damage help to ensure that when he commits to a fight he eliminates his target to avoid the counterattack.
Lastly, Dextrioth has a solid 4 Class Skill choices due to the Extended Training level 1 General Feat and 1 point of Intelligence. This means, unlike most Martial heroes, he will have a lot of options for skills making him very versatile.
Playing Against Dextrioth
Dextrioth is hard to play against due to his incredible mobility and multiple threat ranges. The best way to deal with him is at range with a hero like the Ranger, and to reduce his mobility. Pin and Hobbled make him extremely vulnerable, while the Blind status reduces his Accuracy to 0, making it very difficult for him to do any damage. Additionally his Will is 2, meaning crowd control abilities like Paralyze, Charm, and Fear are highly likely to work on him as well.
If you can get a tank character on him, which can be tough due to the disparity in mobility, he really struggles to do anything. Taunt from the Fighter can force him to stand and fight which is not a situation he wants to be in. Also, sending a fast pet after him, such as the Ranger’s Wolf companion, can be highly effective as it can keep up with the Warlock and force him to spend time dealing with it. If you get lucky, the Wolf can take him out as well due to its high damage attack.
Thanks for reading, I hope you are excited to try the Warlock out in your games! Next up is the last Martial class, and my personal favorite, the Monk!