Which Warlock invocation next for melee

[Hiro Quester]

Playing a pact of the blade (home-brew patron) Warlock 5/ (modified) Swords Bard 5.

I'm frontline striker, buffer, and battlefield controller. Usually I'm casting either Hex or a BFC spell like Hypnotic Pattern or Slow, then stabbing things a lot while I concentrate on that spell, smiting when I crit.

I started as bard 1, then hexblade 1. Then DM offered me a home-brewed alternative patron (which my character would definitely have sympathy for), so I took that instead of hexblade to Warlock 5.

There are several upsides of this home-brewed patron/subclass, but the downside is no hexblade CHA-SADness. I need Dex and Cha (currently 18 DEX 18 CHA). So apart from Elven Accuracy at Warlock 4, all other ASIs are and will be +2 Dex or +2 CHA. (Though resilient WIS is very tempting since with -1, I I fail wisdom saves a LOT.)

Homebrewed warlock subclass means no shield proficiency, but home-brewed bard "sword dancer"( modified sword bard) traded fighting style for CHA to AC when unarmored. With a set of magical silks that give +2 to AC when unarmored, I'm stylishly rocking a 20 AC, and occasionally adding a d8 to that for a round after using a particular sword dance.

Patron gave me a magic rapier that "Marks for Death" enemies I hit, which does an extra d4 damage to them and I can teleport to within 5 ft of them as a bonus action. So like Relentless Hex, except I have to hit them rather than hex them from afar.

After Warlock 5 I progressed Bard to 5 in home-brewed subclass that is a lightly modified Swords bard (that is very worth progressing the rest of the way, for extra-powerful uses of "sword dance" at level 7 and 9). So the plan is Bard 6, then Warlock to 6, then Bard thereafter.

My question is about Invocations for a frontline melee bard/warlock.

While relentless hex would be a good invocation normally, my rapier gives me most of it.

And Improved Pact Weapon is redundant, too, because no shield means I have a free hand to use a spell component pouch and rapier, and a +1 rapier. My bonus action is rather in-demand (hex, teleport, barding inspiration) so no need for it to pull off TWF either.

I have already as invocations:

• Eldritch Mind (because I don't have room for Warcaster).
• Eldritch Smite (to use when I crit, which Elven Accuracy makes happen more often)
• Thirsting Blade For extra attack.

When I take Bard 6 next level, I'll get extra attack and so will no longer need Thirsting Blade. DM has let me replace an invocation when it became redundant (when I took Bard 3 and no longer needed Armor of Shadows). So he might let me drop that invocation when I get Extra Attack. Which invocation to replace it with?

I rarely use Eldritch Blast, preferring melee. In fact, I'd rather not have the temptation to rely more on Eldritch Blast, since I can't smite with that. My character is agony-hound, who wants the glory (that my bard turns into story) of dancing around the bad guy, making a massive hit that blows them to pieces. So Agonizing Blast won't get much use.

Tomb of Levistus might be tempting, to keep me alive when getting hit hard. But the number of temp HP are dependent on Warlock levels (10 HP/level). So that's only 50 right now, and 60 max. And since I'm incapacitated until the end of my next turn, I could get hit for more than that if I'm in melee with a Heavy Hitter.

Repelling Blast might be helpful, for pushing Bad Guys into damaging effects. But our Wizard prefers blasting to damaging areas. And our Cleric doesn't use Spirit Guardians much. Our Druid sometimes puts out Spike Growth or Wall of Fire. I don't often use Eldritch Blast.

Cloak of Flies might be a source of damage (but it also damages allies that come close).

Maddening Hex might also be a tiny bit of extra damage, but it takes a bonus action, which is in high demand.

I once (level 2) had a lot of fun with Mask of Many Faces. But I'm probably not going to have room for taking the Actor feat to augment that for infiltration purposes.


In addition, if the story progresses in the right way (serving my patron's objective), I might switch a second-level spell for Shadow Blade when I progress Warlock to 6. Having a Twilight Cleric in our group who uses Twilight sanctuary often, means all attacks would be in dim light, with advantage and 3d8 psychic damage instead of 1d8 +1d6(Hex) +1d4 (bonus from rapier 3 targets/Long Rest).

That means that Eldritch Smite might become redundant, since you can't smite with Shadow Blade (it's not your Pact Weapon). And one burst of 4d8 from a 3rd level pact slot vs 3d8 on every attack for a minute seems a good trade.

That would free up another Invocation. If I did replace Eldritch Smite, what would be a good other replacement?


What good invocation (or two) should I consider?

[Psyren]

1) Tomb is fine as an emergency button if you're about to go down or just eat a nasty crit. It triggers when you take damage so you can wait to see if the hit is about to rock your block before deciding to use it.

2) Any thoughts on the Darkness/Devil's Sight combo?

3) Is someone else in your party the Detect Magic guy? If not, Eldritch Sight could be useful, and could even free up a spell known on your Bard side.

[Skrum]

I would highly recommend Eldritch Mind. You have solid defenses, which is nice, but you're still melee and are still going to get hit. Idk about you, but I hate dropping concentration. I would prioritize getting this.

Other one, hmm...probably Tomb. It's less good than it looks in many ways; as in, it's a pretty situational thing to use "correctly*". But at the same time, it's nice to have as a little emergency button. Especially for warlocks and bards that don't have much in the way of emergency buttons/reactive defenses.




*In many cases, the correct thing to do is just go down and then your ally can Healing Word you. You don't lose any actions, while with Tomb you do. I personally hate this aesthetic, and would prefer to play my character like an actual human being who wants to avoid bleeding out on the ground, even if they know their buddy will get them back up a moment later. One of the annoying eccentricities of 5e.

[Psyren]

I would highly recommend Eldritch Mind. You have solid defenses, which is nice, but you're still melee and are still going to get hit. Idk about you, but I hate dropping concentration. I would prioritize getting this.

I think you missed this part of the OP:

I have already as invocations:

• Eldritch Mind (because I don't have room for Warcaster).
• Eldritch Smite (to use when I crit, which Elven Accuracy makes happen more often)
• Thirsting Blade For extra attack.

They already have Eldritch Mind.

Other one, hmm...probably Tomb. It's less good than it looks in many ways; as in, it's a pretty situational thing to use "correctly*". But at the same time, it's nice to have as a little emergency button. Especially for warlocks and bards that don't have much in the way of emergency buttons/reactive defenses.


*In many cases, the correct thing to do is just go down and then your ally can Healing Word you. You don't lose any actions, while with Tomb you do.

That doesn't cost you any actions, but it costs your healer ally their bonus action, as well as their action if they had something better to cast on their turn than a cantrip. Personally, I would rather have the option of giving up my reaction to save myself.

[Jerrykhor]

I'll throw in a vote for Tomb. Seems like the general opinion is that the draw back too big to be good, but i have found it has saved my bacon quite a few times. Maybe if your DM is always kind, always throw level appropriate enemies and never have any environmental effects that are super deadly, then you dont need it. But high level spells exist, and at level 10 i was already facing Archmage enemies that throw Meteor Swarm at us.

If you want something that is always good, Fiendish Vigor is the one. Its only bad if your DM dont allow you to spam rerolls to get the highest thp.

[Kane0]

If in doubt you can usually get good mileage out of beguiling influence, mask of many faces or misty visions.

[Hiro Quester]

I'll throw in a vote for Tomb. Seems like the general opinion is that the draw back too big to be good, but i have found it has saved my bacon quite a few times. Maybe if your DM is always kind, always throw level appropriate enemies and never have any environmental effects that are super deadly, then you dont need it.

As an example, in our last encounter a prison escape, we faced a boss who had an aura that stunned you a round if you failed a wisdom save. With a -1 wisdom save I failed and was stunned. I had 50 Hp, but was hit twice while stunned for just enough to knock me unconscious. Then hit with an area of effect damage, and a direct melee attack from that boss which killed me. We had enough diamonds for revivify, but our gear was still locked away someplace. A locate object got us through two locked doors and another tough guard to our gear in the last possible round to use the diamonds for revivify.

So no, the DM a is not always “kind”. Challenges are serious and sometimes fatal. My character’s low wisdom save is more the problem than direct hit point damage.

Tomb of L might be a good option, still. But in situations like that tomb of L wouldn’t have helped anyway.

the problem is that I’ll only have 5-6 levels of warlock.

So even when it would help, the 50-60 temp HP seems not enough protection. It would have been melted by those first two hits during the turn I reaction-cast tomb of L. And then I’m incapacitated for my turn anyway, so can’t do much to prepare for avoiding or resisting the next two hits, which might take my remaining HP.

if it matters I also have Absorb Elements (instead of Shield as a subclass spell) to reaction-cast to reduce incoming damage (and add to melee damage).

on other options,

• we have a wizard ritual casting detect magic.
• I already have expertise in deception and persuasion
• Devil’s sight: I im about to have access to 4th level spells, so Greater invisibility is near. And I have darkvision and a Twilight Cleric ally, so dark vision isn’t usually a problem
• Twilight cleric is often throwing out temp HPs as part of his aura.

At-will silent image or disguise self could be fun.

Has anyone used Cloak of Flies? Is it effective in practice?

Repelling /agonizing blast would make Eldritch blast very effective, perhaps too effective, since I’d soon get 3 blasts per round. Which in many situations would be better at DPR than stabbing enemies. That would be a change of play style, which might be a way to show character growth. But my Bard subclass is totally oriented to melee combat. It seems generic warlock, which I’m trying not to be.