Video-Based Walkthrough for NWN2: Mysteries of Westgate
Salazar, M CG Human Warlock 12, Hellfire Warlock 3
My obligatory three party members are a Cleric who can tank, a Paladin damage dealer, and a Rogue who can be utilized as a Parry wall. The natural choice to round things out is an arcane caster. My preference was a Warlock. Many of the fights in MoW involve friends and foes alike crowded together. It's an ideal situation to use highly damaging Eldritch Chain combinations. The Walk Unseen invocation provides a kind of Hide in Plain Sight ability that can be useful during certain fights. Eldritch Spear allows me to peck foes who are at a considerable distance away.
Three levels of Hellfire Warlock allow this character to access an attack mode whereby 6d6 damage gets added to each Eldritch Blast. The drawback is that using Eldritch Blast each time in this mode will result in a cumulative -1 loss of Constitution, albeit temporary. If you want to play a Hellfire Warlock in the OC or MotB, the solution is as easy as getting an item that provides immunity to ability and level draining (e.g. Amulet of Health, Bone Ring, etc.).
Unfortunately, such items are typically unavailable during Storm of Zehir and Mysteries of Westgate. However, all I need to do is have Charissa cast a Death Ward spell on him. The spell lasts for several hours, and will prevent the Constitution loss, so he can fire away.
Stats
- Str 8 - Strength isn't important for a Warlock
- Dex 16 - Dexterity is important in two respects. Warlocks often wear lighter armors, so a high Dexterity score is definitely warranted on that point. More importantly, it's the Dexterity bonus that increases the Warlock's chances of connecting on his Eldritch Blast attacks.
- Con 10 - Somewhat low, especially for a character that uses Hellfire Warlock powers. But Charissa will immunize him with a Death Ward spell when needed.
- Int 16 - Necessary so that Salazar can develop several skills that will enhance his effectiveness.
- Wis 8 - Not especially important.
- Cha 16 - Important for the sake of raising the DC for some of the nasty effects his Eldritch Blasts can inflict (e.g. Noxious Blast, Beshadowed Blast).
- 4th level: +1 Charisma
- 8th level: +1 Charisma
- 12th level: +1 Dexterity
Adding +2 to Charisma during the initial levelling up will improve the saving throw DC of the Warlock's powers.
A party member will only get one chance to increase a stat after the game itself begins, so make sure it somehow results in a meaningful improvement after it results in an increase to an even number. Adding +1 to Dexterity will merge with the Bracers of Dexterity +3 to result in an overall Dexterity of 20. That will not only increase his armor class, but also increase his ability to connect on his Eldritch Chain attacks.
Skills
- Appraise - Important during MoW, since even with the ability to raise a lot of gold through the Lizardfolk Witch many of the items I want are really expensive. Only the main protagonist can use it.
- Bluff - Can be useful for some dialogue skill checks during MoW, but developing other skills is a priority.
- Concentration - Obviously important if he needs to cast invocations in the middle of combat.
- Lore - Important for properly identifying magical items, and sometimes unlocking certain dialogue options.
- Intimidate - The key conversational skill for Salazar during Mow.
- Spellcraft - Increasing his saving throws.
- Use Magic Device - Allows him to use a couple of items that would otherwise be unavailable due to alignment or class restrictions. A skill rank of 15 (10 skill points added plus the Charisma bonus modifier of +5) suffices for this.
Feats
1st level (Warlock 1): Fey Heritage - Unlocking the Fey line of feats, which is a prerequisite to Fey Power.
Spellcasting Prodigy - Will raise the DC for his invocations by 1. Also has to be selected at first level or not at all.
2nd level (Warlock 2): No feat selected.
3rd level (Warlock 3): Fey Power - Like Spellcasting Prodigy, it will also raise the DC of his invocations by 1. The Fey Heritage feat needed to be selected at 1st level as a prerequisite.
4th level (Warlock 4): No feat selected.
5th level (Warlock 5): No feat selected.
6th level (Warlock 6): Skill Focus (Appraise) - Like I said, Appraise for the lead character has a definite importance in MoW.
7th level (Warlock 7): No feat selected.
8th level (Warlock 8): No feat selected.
9th level (Warlock 9): Blind-Fight - Allows Salazar another re-roll to hit concealed targets with his Eldritch Blast powers.
10th level (Hellfire Warlock 1): No feat selected. But now he gets to select the Hellfire mode, which will add extra damage to his Eldritch Blasts.
11th level (Hellfire Warlock 2): No feat selected.
12th level (Hellfire Warlock 3): Improved Critical (Ranged Touch Attack) - Increases the critical hit range for his Eldritch Blast to 19-20.
13th level (Warlock 10): No feat selected.
14th level (Warlock 11): No feat selected.
15th level (Warlock 12): Combat Expertise - The penalty won't affect ranged touch attacks, so it amounts to 3 free points of armor class.
Invocations
1st level: Beguiling Influence - Adds a +6 skill check bonus to Bluff, Diplomacy and Intimidate. Conversational skill checks can be quite important during MoW.
2nd level: Dark One's Luck - Allows Salazar to add his Charisma bonus to his saving throws bonus for 24 hours, allowing a benefit similar to the Paladin's Divine Grace.
4th level: Eldritch Spear - Allows Salazar to hit an enemy at very long range, which can be useful in some situations during MoW.
6th level: Eldritch Chain - This is where the fun begins. It's the ability that allows the Warlock to damage multiple enemies, even when they are locked in close quarter combat with other party members, and without harming the other party members. It can also be combined with debilitative effects like Hellrime Blast, Draining Blast, or Noxious Blast.
8th level: Brimstone Blast - A prerequisite for the Hellfire Warlock prestige class. Can be very useful for Trolls and undead, both of which are fairly frequent in MoW.
10th level: Walk Unseen - The Warlock's version of an Invisibility spell. Since it can be used without limit, it can work as a kind of Hide in Plain Sight substitute during certain battles, especially in the fighting arena.
11th level: Vitriolic Acid - Inflicts acid damage that lingers for a few rounds afterwards, and bypasses spell resistance. Can be really useful against Trolls, and monsters that are spell resistant.
13th level: Noxious Blast - This will Daze its targets for 10 rounds. Daze isn't as severe a condition as the others. But the fact that its targets will stop attacking for 10 rounds, instead of the others, makes it that much more valuable. The Noxious Blast / Eldritch Chain combo is bread and butter for Salazar.
15th level: Devour Magic - Gives him the option of bringing down a single target's magical buffs and replenishing her own hit points at the same time.
Inventory
- Golden Bamboo Staff (Quarterstaff +2, Stun DC=22 75% / 3 rounds, +1d6 fire damage) - Purchased from Okuzo and then further enchanted to add +1d6 fire damage. This was the last priority in terms of purchases that I wanted to make, since I pretty much have Salazar avoid physical combat all the time. But by the time I buy this I've gotten everything else I wanted, so I may as well get him as good a two-handed weapon as I can find for him.
- Helmet: Domino Mask (+10 hit points, -4 Concentration, immunity to death magic, immunity to mind-affecting spells, Fear (5) 1 / day, Ghostly Visage (9) 2 / day) - The main protagonist has this item from the very beginning, and cannot get rid of it. It acquires greater power as certain events progress through the game. However, it also has drawbacks. It always has a penalty to Concentration. It always results in lingering damage to the protagonist when worn. You also cannot rest while wearing it. And so it cannot be constantly worn. Its abilities can be useful during certain fights however, and wearing it can expose items or pathways that you otherwise could not see. He otherwise goes without wearing a helmet or hat.
- Amulet of Vitality +2 (+2 Constitution) - Purchased from Mintassan. Serves as Salazar's source of a Constitution bonus, and also frees up his boots slot for the Boots of the Sun Soul +2.
- Armor: Studded Leather Armor +3 - Looted from Rabid Red during the Head of the Pirates quest. A straightforward instance of as much armor class as is possible for the character.
- Cloak: Cloak of Mysteries (+3 deflection bonus to armor class, +3 Bluff, Spell Focus: Illusion) - Looted from Skyrim Bloodfang during the Cloak of Mysteries quest. It becomes Salazar's source of a deflection bonus to armor class. The boost to Bluff may also come in handy during certain conversations.
- Gloves: Bracers of Dexterity +3 - Looted from Wilgum the Worm during the Head of the Pirates quest. The +3 Dexterity will mesh with the Dexterity of 17 after Salazar adds +1 Dexterity during his 12th level up. More Dexterity means connecting more often with the Eldritch Blasts.
- 1st Ring: Ring of Merchant Rule (+2 Charisma, +4 Appraise, light) - Looted from Dallia Urdo during the Okuzo's Honor quest. The +2 Charisma bonus will help his Warlock abilities. The +4 bonus to Appraise will help him sell goods for more, and buy goods for less.
- 2nd Ring: Ring of Resistance +2 - Purchased from Mintassan. Improved saving throws are always a good thing. It will stack with the saving throw bonus from using the Dark One's Luck.
- Belt: Archer's Belt (piercing 5/-) - Looted from the Drow Mage during the Knot of Shou Lung quest. Salazar likes to stay back and use his Eldritch Blast power, but he still has to account for missile fire interrupting his attacks. The belt lowers the damage from missile fire, and improves his chances of making the needed Concentration checks as a result.
- Boots: Boots of the Sun Soul +2 (+2 dodge bonus to armor class, Monks only) - Purchased from Mintassan. The +2 bonus to armor class stacks, and is certainly welcome for any character. Salazar can wear the Boots despite the class limitation owing to his Use Magic Device skill.
| Sorcerer's
Place is a project run entirely by fans and for fans. Maintaining
Sorcerer's Place and a stable environment for all our hosted sites requires a substantial amount of our time and funds on a regular basis, so please consider supporting us to keep the site up & running smoothly. Thank you! |
