Gestalt Warlock Artificer Hellfire Warlock (3.5e Optimized Character Build)

Introduction

Epic Level Gestalt Warlock 20, Artificer 20, Hellfire Warlock 3: This was my idea for an extremely powerful evil character for a low level Epic Campaign. It is a Human gestalt character build with the Warlock and Artificer, with the epic levels coming from the Hellfire Warlock. This uses the standard builds from D&D 3.5 so I will not be providing a character build progression. This doesn't use any of the Homebrew constructions for Warlock or Artificer or Hellfire Warlock on D&D Wiki.

References

(All 3.5) Complete Arcane (CAr), Complete Mage (CM), Eberron Campaign Setting (ECS), Book of Vile Darkness (BoVD), Player's Handbook (PHB), Fiendish Codex II (FCII), Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (FRCS), Player's Guide to Faerûn (PGF), Epic Level Handbook(EPHB), Dragon Magic(DM), Monster Manuals 1-5 (MM(x)), Savage Species (SS).

Game Rule Components

Suggested Invocations

Choose what invocations you want, I suggest the following;

Least

Aquatic Adaptation (DM 79), Eldritch Glaive (DM 82), Scalding Gust (DM 81).

Lesser

Deadly Fog (Homebrew as Cloudkill PHB page 210), Mask of Flesh (CM 124), Frightful Presence(DM 80), Eldritch Line (DM 82).

Greater

Devour Magic (CAr 133, DM 80), Wingstorm (DM 81), Nightmares Made Real (CM 124) ~ (This presumes you've taken Extra Invocation feat at a late stage.)

Dark

Steal Summoning (CM 124), Path of Shadow (CAr 135), Greater Draconic Flight (DM 80)

(I don't use any Eldritch Essence Invocations here because of the items. See below)

Dread Warlock Gloves and Tattoos

Because you're a Gestalt Artificer Warlock, you have a unique combination of powers. the twelth level Imbue Item ability as a Warlock added with the Crafting capabilities of the Artificer grant you the ability to make the following pair of gloves. Dread Warlock Gloves First item you'll need is either a Permanent Permanency ring or Permanent Persistence ring with the spell trigger of imbuing or infusing. Simply imbue a blank ring as a Warlock with Permanent as a 1 time use item with the spell trigger as above. Put the ring on and imbue while wearing the ring another blank ring with permanency and the spell trigger. DC is 27, same process with a Persistent Spell ring either works. Use the permanency ring to imbue another ring with permanent contingency with the spell-trigger that when worn all imbued items or infusions are contingency spells. Then using the crafts arms and armor feat you gained as an Artificer construct two pairs of gloves, but before you attach each finger imbue that finger with certain abilities while wearing the permanency ring.

Left Hand Glove) finger 1;Empower Spell-Like Ability, Finger 2; Enlarge Spell-Like Ability, Finger 3; Maximize Spell-Like Ability, Finger 4: Hellrime Blast (Invocations and Eldritch Essences count as imbuible spells), Thumb: Hideous Blast (spell trigger: when using a weapon in that hand).

Right Hand Glove) Finger 1: Eldritch Spear, Finger 2: Eldritch Cone, Finger 3: Vetrolic Blast, Finger 4: Hammer Blast, Thumb: Repelling Blast. When worn these gloves, except where otherwise stated, have a permanent effect on the Eldritch Blast.

Tattoos (All are permanent and all are permanently active unless otherwise specified: With the the ability to imbue any item essentially with the Craft Wondrous Item feat, and with the substituted feats as described below, you can imbue tattoos on your character's bodies with permanent active effects and spells. Some that I suggest are:

Torso) Heart Tattoo (Regeneration 40), Bone Tattoo (Damage Reduction 40/-), Flame Tattoo (Fire Resistance 40), Snowflake Tattoo (Cold Resistance 40), Green Drop Tattoo (Acid Resistance 40), Red Drop Tattoo (Poison Immunity), Lute Tattoo (Sonic Resistance 40), Lightning Bolt Tattoo (Electricity Resistance 40), Twister Tattoo (Air Resistance 40).

Feet) Sandal Tattoo (Haste), Spiderweb Tattoo (Spiderwalk), Crumbling Boulder Tattoo (tremorsense 40 feet)

Face/Head: Left Eye) To the left of the eye a ? Tattoo (True Sight), beneath the eye Green Stripes (Read Magic)

Right Eye) To the Right a Black Box (Detect Alignment), Beneath White Stripes (Time Stop; spell trigger when the eye is held shut time stop is initiated, it lasts either the max rounds or until the eye is opened. Usable as a free action or immediate action once per round (this is a permanent spell contingency).)

Forehead) Third eye (Blindsight 120 feet), A green dot to the left of the third eye (Telepathy: contingency~ when a finger of the character is touched to the dot) red dot to the right of the third eye (Mind Blank: contingency when touched with a finger by the character, or when an unwanted telepathic link is forced on the character (example: as a Mind Flayer might do)). Left Cheek) Sideways Eye (detect scrying: contingent trigger when being scried on) Right Cheek) Gold Triangle (detect psionics: contingent trigger when psionics are activated within range) Tongue) A Black Scroll (Tongues)

Left Arm: Mound of Rubble (stone to flesh: contingent trigger if petrified) Right Arm: Black Mirror (Resurrection: contingent trigger if killed)

Middle Back: Floating Pyramid (Greater Restoration: contingent trigger if character gains ability score damage or negative levels) Upper Back/Shoulders: Broken Cloud (Wish, contingent trigger: if a wish or miracle is used to destroy or kill the character, remove from existence, etc this tattoo is used to counter the wish.)

On all Limb Socket Bones and Neck Bones: Pen and Ink Tattoo (Transcribe Symbol: Contingent trigger, if a limb or the head is cut off and because of Regent 40 is grown back, the tattoo will automatically transfer the lost tattoos on the chopped off limb to the new limb.) Around the Naval: Three point seal Tattoo (Undetectable Alignment, Alter Aura (through Alter Self))

Progression

Use Standard Gestalt construction Warlock Artificer with Human as the base. Make sure your Use Magic Device has the most ranks it can. Also try to make Int and Charisma the highest you can.

Feats: Essential Feats: for the Artificer substitute Scribe Scroll for Inscribe Rune, substitute Scribe Tattoo for Craft Rod.

Other Components

I'll highlight here why this is a useful build. By using the tattoos you can make the character nearly invincible. With the Hellfire Warlock taking constitution point damage each time you use the Hellfire you can fix this simply by having a tattoo with a permanent contingent spell of greater regeneration that has no limits or charges of use.

Munchkin-Size Me

While this is very much a Munckin Character as it is there is a few more steps that can be taken to make it all the worse. Darkcrafting can help the Warlock/Artificer with his XP limits. Since souls and liquid pain can be stored in vast quantities and gained relatively easily with a few items that the Warlock/Artificer can create for himself using the spells: Liquid Pain, Pain Extractor, Soul Bind, Trap the Soul, and Imprison Soul, as well as the item Dark Alter Stone the character could have unlimited XP resources. See the sections in the BoVD on souls as power and sacrifice, as well as the section on pain (Page 33).

Side Notes

This can be done as a normal multiclass character. Warlock 12, Artificer 8 (no Hellfire Warlock class). There are a few limitations in this but you can essentially make all of these same items and tattoos.

Limitations

This build works after level 12 when you get the Imbue Item ability.It's designed however for Evil Low level Epic campaigns and above. Anti-Magic Fields are a problem for this character however as is dispel magic. However since all of the items are permanent spells without limits they can only be suppressed not fully removed.

DM Counters

None: this is an ultimate LEGAL D&D Standard Gestalt Build, Anti-magic and Dispel are useful against this character build, but these can only suppress the effects. Dispel may have to over come other obstacles such as contingency spells to counter-spell the dispel.

Miscellaneous

This build originally took me six hours to complete. User:XtomJames

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