A few updates ago, when I was last active, I posted a thread about Elf based AA shuriken build(s).

http://www.ddovault.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1426572416/17#17

Back then Warlocks hadn't been added.  I made the argument that 11 levels of wizard was a viable option for shuriken builds because I found Tenser's that important that self casting (preferably extended) helped ensure ~100% up time (but I didn't want to commit to T5 EK for the toggle).

Up front, I accept that 11 levels of wizard isn't the absolute best DPS for this kind of build (though I personally found it very viable specifically for an AA/Fury that had few points to play with anyway...plus I think it's very subjective to compare the lost SA dice one could pick up as a rogue to the odds of keeping TT up 100% through scrolls).  The other option for casting TT was arti, but I didn't see the point if it meant being uncentered (or giving up the other attractive feature of the class - the runearm).

On to the point, has anyone messed with Warlock as a base for this concept?  The way I see it, it costs 13 levels of Warlock to pick up TT, but could be more useful than the wizard level.  BAB progression is better, making it easier to qualify for feats, most wizard spells you would bother casting are available to locks as well, umd as a class skill, and whatever pact bonuses.  Of course you lose some free metas, but they weren't that crucial.

Perhaps more importantly, Soul Eater has some very nice perks for a shuri build. 

+3 or +4 damage/attack, depending how many core abilities are taken.
Various debuffs just by attacking things if you consume/stricken (not sure worth)
+6 ranged power (hungry for destruction)
1d8+2 DEX bonus from You Cannot Evade Me. 

The last one seems really big to me.  Shuri builds are all about maxing dex and there was a whole generation of these builds using the EK toggle just because the +4 alch bonus from TT (well that and BAB, which is also huge for thrower) was so good.  When I saw Dark Feeding one of my first thoughts was that this is a new enhancement that will have to be included in calculating the maximum score for DEX.

Now the silly part is that even though warlocks are all about Eldritch Blast, this build wouldn't really be using it at all.  But between some flat attack damage, a healthy potential DEX buff, and castable tenser's, does anyone else see something like Warlock 13/Monk 3/Ranger 4 as a viable shuri build?

Most people are to lazy to scroll tenser's once a minute. You expect them to eat a monster's dex every 20 seconds?

gabrion wrote on Oct 11^th, 2015 at 11:15pm:


Even if it's easy to cast it only nets 2.5 on average. But I think you're forgetting something, you need an 80+ dex warlock build before that's even worth considering.

gabrion wrote on Oct 11^th, 2015 at 11:48pm:

I haven't used it either, but if Maximize and Empower affect it, the dex could potentially be ... greater than advertised.

while interesting and compelling for Lock PL's on a thrower character, I don't think it's worth designing around. With Monk being required for ANT, and Ranger DWS now being the best prestige, and SA damage scaling with RP, there is simply no room in a thrower build that is multiuclassed for Warlock.